The Two Sided Heart Original
by Igor Lollipop
Summary: In Kingdom Hearts, we learned that there were seven Princesses of purest heart. But after a young Keyblade wielder loses her world, they learn that there might just be something to her other than a stubborn Keyblade wielder. RoxasNamine SoKai
1. Awakening

**A/N: 4/20/10: Funny thing about being a senior in high school? You become bored of doing your actual school work and would rather re-edit the first fanfiction you made your freshman year. I'm hoping to make this story quite a bit better, so I'll be editing it (again) more thoroughly.**

**This fanfiction is about a teenage girl who lives in a world called Jewel's Grove. (Name probably won't be mentioned for a long time). This girl, and other teenagers both in and out of her world are joining the new generation of keyblade wielders to fight for and against a darker force. This is my version of "Kingdom Hearts Three" but not really because it's really AU and less what I expected the actual game to be. Ah, yes. **

**This story is rated T for language (I'm a very heavy cusser), violence, and possible romance.**

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The autumn sky was almost completely purple in color from the thick storm clouds hanging in the atmosphere, Otherwise, there was only a small bit of grey that could be seen, reflecting the gloomy mood that most residents felt by that particular point of the year. It was September and already dipping down into winter temperatures. Most people attempted to stay inside of their houses, so there was only one person walking outside as a mustard yellow school bus pressed on and exited the neighborhood. A particularly cold gust of wind blew through the area, shaking the tree leaves something awful, causing the high school-aged girl to cross her arms tighter.

She was young, likely a Freshman at her school. More violent gusts of wind cast her dirty blond (striped with thin strips of black) hair into her face, and she paused. The girl was wearing a grey and black striped sweatshirt over a red tank and a pair of jeans. Her most interesting accessory was the pair of crutches that she was uneasily using. One foot, her right, was exposed to the elements as it was only covered in an ace bandage. She drew a deep breath and crossed the eroded street to her white duplex home.

It was true that she loved rainy weather -- in fact, she would miss it during the winter months -- but she did not want to be rained on while on crutches. The front door of the house was, luckily, unlocked. With some difficulty, the teenager maneuvered herself into the dark house on her crutches. Once she was in the haven, she all but collapsed on the navy blue couch although she took extra care to elevate her injured, foot. Behind her, the lighting was illuminated in a mirror across the room; she had just made it.

Thunder quickly followed after its light companion, and she winced somewhat at the noise, jumping a little. Her upper body strength was definitely not getting better; she could feel her arms ache in protest from the work she had been putting them through all day. School had been fun today. Of course anyone would think it highly entertaining to watch a student in her high school moving from class to class on crutches. It was such a common occurrence, though, that no one attempted to trip her, unlike the children at her middle school.

Exhaustion filled her every bone and muscle. There would be no repercussions for falling asleep on the couch. In fact, her mother probably would not even be aware that she was home until she awoke several hours later and went upstairs to see her. Her family members -- cousins, mostly -- never missed an opportunity to chastise her about sometimes being impatient with her mother. It was ironic that they were the ones telling her to treat her mother better; as teenagers, they had all treated their mothers like crap. The thoughts stopped pouring into her head long enough for her brain to settle and carry her to sleep.

One thought clicked in her mind just before sleep. The image of two people, a tall brunette girl and equally tall brunet boy glaring at each other before shouting, "Stefa!"

**XxxxxX**

Lightning flashed on and on, but after a particularly loud rumbling of thunder, Stefa bolted upward. She looked around, not completely sure what had awoken her since it wasn't the storm. Usually, she slept best during storms. No, it was more like something changing. Like some extra sound -- maybe the clank of a pan? Yawning, she sat herself up and glanced around at her surroundings, but it was still pitch black downstairs. "Mom?" She heard her uncertain voice call out into the darkness, but there was nothing. This was not too surprising, but the lack of any sort of response was.

Slowly, Stefa stood, an unwise move for someone whose ankle was sprained, and groped in the darkness for absolutely anything. She was quite surprised when she felt the coffee table, but her foot did not accidentally kick her four-year-old labrador or any of her four cats. All her bare foot could feel was the soft carpet beneath it.

Stefa knew her house in darkness the same way as she did in the light, and was easily able to stumble into the kitchen for a match and candle. She grabbed the package of matches, opened one, and struck it on the cover. Looking out the window, she noticed that it was completely black. All she could think was that the storm had knocked out the power. "Usually we don't get bad storms like this up here," she murmured to herself. "Mom!"

When there was, once again, no response, Stefa was quite sure she had figured it out. Her mother, in all likely hood, was outside, taking a drag on a cigarette. And the only reason she had not turned on any light -- aside from the rather useless one in the kitchen -- was because she had not wished to awake Stefa. After all, even Stefa was even willing to admit that she was bitchy when first woken up."

She threw open the front door and exited through the screen door as she stepped out into the rain. Tentatively, she put down her injured ankle and dragged it behind her as she followed the walkway from her front door to the driveway. The wind howled, and she heard both the front and storm doors slam shut. She was not too concerned, particularly when she realized her mother was not outside. Ringing the doorbell would both prove her mother was there and get her back into the house.

Rain was falling down hard and Stefa was surprised to see that when she looked around, it actually was pitch black, not dark purple. Her surroundings were, by the minute, starting to look less like her actual environment and more like pure darkness. "...Wh-what?" Just then, as if she was not concerned enough, a little black creature with tennis-ball sized yellow eyes jumped out at her from seemingly out of no where. She quickly jumped back out of reaction, and howled in pain as her ankle sent waves of pain strong enough through her body that she collapsed on the concrete. The creature moved like a predator heading off its weak prey. It reached, with large and outstretched black claws, toward her chest.

"B-back the f-fuck..." Stefa was petrified and, for one of the first times in her life, had no good line. Her pale hazel green eyes were squeezed shut as she accepted her fate as, she expected, most humans out of their element would. But, just as quickly, her right hand was weighed down by something heavy and cool. She was brave enough to reopen her eyes and find a large key-like object in her hand. The little black bug was laying flat on its back a foot or so away. "Did this thing kill _that_? Did _I _do that?" she added with even more incredulity.

Although she felt no safer, she felt at ease enough to experiment with the object in her hand. She shook the gargantuan key and briefly examined it. Its handle was shaped like a heart, split in half by black and white. The middle was covered in broken hearts that were half black and half white. The most interesting part were its teeth, which were made up of yellow rose petals and split hearts. "A key...? This seems like... a stretch." Stefa looked up to see the yellow-eyed creature on its feet again. It was foolish of her to have expected it to be dead without her doing anything to really attack it. As the thing scampered toward her a second time, she held the key up in a defensive position. She put her left hand at the bottom of the key to reinforce the shield's power. The claws sank into the exposed skin of her hands somewhat. And, somehow, rain continued to fall in the now completely pitch black area as a disembodied voice spoke,

_'This Shadow Heartless wants your heart.'_

"My heart? Who would want my heart?" asked Stefa, perplexed, through slightly gritted teeth as she attempted to hold back the Shadow. The first thing she had expected the creature to want was not her heart, that much she had to admit. She had expected it to simply want her flesh. Isn't that what all animals wanted? Not that this was a particular animal she was familiar with, a 'Heartless.'

_'... You are needed to fight in the very important, upcoming war. And to use your abilities to seal the door once and for all.... Fight no matter what with your Keyblade, but do not lose your heart!'_

"Who...? I don't get it!" shouted Stefa, desperately, as the Shadow began to try to climb _onto _the keyblade. The only sounds were the falling rain and Shadow's claws. She had enough sense about her to slash horizontally at the Shadow, which disappeared in a cloud of blackness. Sighing, Stefa glanced around but she knew that she was alone. "A... Keyblade?" She asked herself before pushing her dark and wet bangs out of her face, "How can it rain in a completely pitch black place?" she added with annoyance. "Man. It's like I'm... I'm somewhere else, in another realm, or something." Shaking her head, Stefa pushed herself upward, ignoring the spiking of pain in her ankle. If she was going to let that pain -- as intense as it was -- bother her, then she might as well stay back and wait for another one of those things to take her heart.

Some time later, Stefa was quite sure that she was still in the exact same place as before. She had no idea how much time had passed as she did not have any sort of clock, but she did know that she had fought off about thirty Shadows. And, somehow, rain was still pouring and her jeans were now a dark blue, and her red tank top was soaked. Sighing, she slowly moved her body to the 'ground' for a brief rest. Almost immediately, she felt two or three presences near her. The hair on the back of her neck and arms rose, and she jumped, ignoring the spiking pain once again, before whirling around. In the darkness it was hard to spot anything, and she was willing to bet that she was just allowing her imagination to get carried away with her. Stefa's mind quickly changed about this when a weapon was shoved into her face.

Her body froze, and she had a brief thought about curling into a ball on the ground. Instead, she focused her eyes and noticed this weapon also looked like a key. As she squinted her eyes even more, Stefa could just barely see the outline of herself grinning evilly; it was almost like she was looking through a twisted, dark mirror. In her moment of evaluation, Stefa was knocked backwards by the keyblade. The deep, white-hot pain that emitted from her chest as a result forced her to realize that she was not lulling through some dream, or even a hellish nightmare. Everything was quite real.

Stefa could not think about the other two presences, which was made possible by the fact that nothing else approached her. They were just watching her, whatever they were. But, for what? She slammed her keyblade against the other, not quite skilled at sword fights aside from the ones she used to do with her best friend, Nalani, via two large, thick branches. Stefa tried to tell herself that this fight was just like the ones with Nalani, only she was not doing this for fun; she was doing this for her life. The sound of metal clashing against metal exploded in her ears and echoed through the empty, black chasm of never-ending darkness.

_'You are... decent, good. But are you good enough?'_

Stefa clenched her fist, "Enough with the damn disembodied voice!" she growled while evading another hit by jumping backwards. Her shadow jumped above her with the keyblade held above its head. Huffing and tightly closing her eyes, Stefa threw her keyblade upwards with all of her might. In hindsight, she realized that this was a very bad, naïve idea, but she had never fought before. Not like this. An inhuman scream pierced through the air, which allowed Stefa to calm her guard. Grinning, she was just about sure she had won when...

_'You are much too sure of yourself. The darkness shall easily overcome you.'_

...something pierced her back.

_'Sweet dreams.'_


	2. The Radiant Garden

II: The Radiant Garden

**A/N: 4/21/10: Continuing on my plight to better this story!**

**5/19/09: I decided that if this story was going to be so popular (and I am very grateful for that), then I can spare my time to come back and fix some pretty silly errors. So, here I am, fixing errors and whatnot. :3 And also adding a disclaimer so I don't get in trouble... xD' I also changed 'Kera' to 'Keira'...because it still makes more sense in the long run.**

**Disclaimer - Don't own Kingdom Hearts.**

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The sound of water around her was soothing, so much that she didn't want to move or open her eyes. Stefa was alert… sort of. Mostly. But she was not quite on edge, and the water was helping her mellow out more and more. She wasn't sure where she was, or if she was dreaming. The painful throbbing of her wounds and ankle quickly alerted her to the fact that, no, she was definitely not dreaming. A small, not quite content sigh escaped her lips as she remained where she was. Once she opened her eyes, any sort of illusion she already had in her mind about being safe would be gone. All too familiar with this from the numerous times she had awoken early for school with this realization; she did not move or open her eyes.

The illusion shattered as a voice screeched, "Yes! Right there! That little punk thinks that she can sleep in the fountain!" Even asleep, Stefa could tell the voice was that of an older woman. She winced and closed her eyes a little tighter. Her heart began to beat a little faster as she thought that she might be in the middle of City Park right now, in the fountain. If that were the case, she could get in some serious trouble with the police. "She must have been drunk and passed out!" Stefa winced even more. The accusations -- true or not -- would go well with the police; they always seemed to be looking for an excuse to bust teenagers.

"Calm down, ma'am. She'll be out right away," remarked a calm, male voice. He sounded like no police officer that Stefa was familiar with, particularly because he even sounded a tad exasperated.

"What if I wanted to make a wish in that fountain? With that little tramp in there, I couldn't!" The woman continued her rant, causing the man to sigh.

"It's not a wishing fountain," came his dry reply. Stefa was starting to wonder if she really was in City Park…

The old woman huffed. "I'm old! What do I know about the difference between fountains and wishin' fountains?" **(A/n: xD')** came her next screech. "Get her out! Oh, dear. She's even made the water red!" At this the man finally became interested. He hadn't truly expected the girl in the fountain to have passed out drunk, but it was not like he hadn't seen that sort of thing before. Besides, was he really a police man?

"What?" mumbled the man as took a few steps closer to the fountain. She appeared to be dozing peacefully, but a quick look at her made him realize why the water was turning crimson around her. "I better get her out of here."

She grunted and flinched slightly as she was lifted into his arms, but Stefa otherwise did nothing. Another look over her told him how badly she was injured. There was also the crazy fact that there was a keyblade still clenched in her hand, so she could not have been too asleep. Her body was still as light as a feather to him, but that wasn't saying much considering his strength. The old woman yelled, "Cloud! If you're going to be a better policeman for the Radiant Garden, then you need to listen to what people say! You can't write them off!"

Very quietly, Cloud murmured, "Watch me." Louder, he continued, "I'm not a policeman, not for the people. Just against the Heartless and Nobodies." Heartless? He used the word like it belonged in every day conversation. And, the Radiant Garden? Stefa had to admit that it was starting to look less and less like she was in Illinois anymore. "The fountain will be cleaned as soon as possible." It was the last thing Cloud said before he started off toward Merlin's house.

The woman pursed her lips somewhat. "The fountain... covered in blood. Now, this doesn't look too good for our world, does it?" It was the first thoughtful thing she had said before rejoining her husband for shopping.

**XxxxxX**

Knock, knock. Knock. _Knock_. "Open the door," ordered Cloud with a small trace of annoyance in his normally cool voice. After a minute or so, the door swung open to reveal a brunet man dressed in mostly black with a gun-like blade resting against his shoulder. His appearance was no surprise to Cloud. In fact, he didn't think anything about Squall Leonhart had ever surprised him. He knew that Leon had been a warrior of sorts in his world, so the long scar running across the bridge of his nose had not shocked him. Even Cloud had to admit that he wondered how the other man had gotten it, but he had never been rude enough to pry. It was not something Leon seemed too fond of speaking about. In fact, he did not seem to like to speak much about his world.

"What has you so impatient?" asked Leon in his deep, calm voice as he surveyed Cloud with his cool blue eyes. He noticed the girl almost immediately, saw the blood rubbing off on Cloud's clothing, and he had his answer. Cloud raised his eyebrows in response, and Leon stepped out of his way.

Cloud crossed the threshold and placed her on a large orange couch. From the outside, the house looked small, but its inhabitants knew better. In fact, it could be quite annoying to find someone if you didn't know where to find them. Which could, at the moment, make Cloud's next objective a bit difficult. He looked around, catching Leon's eye in the process. Seemingly reading the other man's mind, he nodded to a swinging white door. Inside of the medium-sized kitchen, Cloud found the woman he was looking for conversing with a short, black-haired girl. He was familiar with both woman, as they had been born in the same world as him. The black-haired girl had a black ninja band tied around her forehead and was wearing a grey, hooded vest over a navy blue shirt with a white flower imprinted upon it. She wore a pair of black and beige shorts, and a knee-high pair of grayish boots. Her brown eyes were animated as she spoke with the woman Cloud was looking for.

The woman had dark brunet hair that was tied in a braid with a large pink ribbon. She wore a halter-esque salmon and white shirt that hung down to her hips, where a long, light pink and white skirt sat. Despite her fragile-appearance, the strength in her emerald eyes, and the boots coupled with her outfit were an easy tip off that she was not to be messed with. The green eyes wandered away from the chocolate ones and settled on Cloud's hardened blue eyes. The girl she was conversing with furrowed her eyebrows before turning to see what was distracting her friend. "Cloud?" asked the brunette quietly.

"Aerith..." The black-haired girl frowned, so he added, "Yuffie," in greeting. "Aerith, I found a girl in the Marketplace. Could you take a look at her?"

A smile appeared on Aerith's face as she nodded. "Sure," she replied before following Cloud out of the room. He gestured to the injured girl on the couch and she nodded. Aerith got down on her knees for a closer examination. The girl's skin was visibly pale, especially where the blood and cuts sat on her skin. The calm green eyes disappeared behind her eyelids as Aerith concentrated her magical energy. She bowed her head, and a a yellow flower appeared above the girl and fell onto her, covering her in a green glow for a minute as all of her cuts disappeared.

"Hmm. Cloud, I don't think Merlin'll be happy about the blood on his couch," remarked Yuffie thoughtfully as she came to stand near the couch, too. She was smirking somewhat.

"Cut it out, Yuffie," came Leon's voice from the other side of the room. Yuffie smiled, but it quickly disappeared as she looked over the girl. "Whoa! Squall, you've got to see this!" She exclaimed, her eyes widening slightly.

"I told you to call me Leon," he grunted in response as he joined them. His eyes also stopped on the object grasped in the teenager's hand. How he had missed it before, he didn't know. "Another Keyblade?" asked Leon, uncharacteristically surprised.

"Do you think we should tell the King?" asked Aerith, now staring at the keyblade as well.

Leon nodded. "I'll go to the Lab and send him a transmission." He promptly exited the house.

"Aerith and I will go scout out the town to make sure there aren't any Heartless!" announced Yuffie as she grabbed the flower girl's wrist. "Cloud, stay here with that girl in case she wakes up." They left so quickly that Cloud did not have the opportunity to say that he hadn't noticed any Heartless, even though the girl had had her keyblade out the whole time.

Cloud sighed and shook his head. He wasn't particularly eager to babysit, particularly when she could awake at any moment. But, he supposed, he was probably a good candidate to get answers out of the girl. The others would probably look at this as a bad thing. The last thing anyone would want after awaking from being unconscious in a fountain was playing twenty questions.

"Someone seems to be in deep thought." A voice sounded from somewhere below him. Cloud blinked, surprised, and looked at the girl who was now struggling to sit up. She yawned somewhat, her hazel eyes a bit dull and nervous-looking as she rubbed at them.

"You're awake," noted Cloud dully. She managed to not be sarcastic by choosing to nod in response. Her eyes went down to the keyblade, which promptly disappeared after a voice murmured in her head to let it go. "And it looks like you've got a handle on that keyblade already."

"Not really," she answered truthfully.. "I didn't use it for that long anyway." Her heart was beating a little more quickly than she would have liked as she swung her legs onto the floor. "Any chance that this is City Park?" she asked without any real interest. The girl seemed to only be absorbed in the immediate things around her. It was undeniably concerning.

"No… You're in the Radiant Garden," came his reply, "and I'm Cloud."

Stefa. The name clicked in her mind, but she was not fond of it for some odd reason. So, she answered, "Keira." A smile appeared on her lips. "Nice to meet you." She was acting surprisingly playful for someone who had just suffered some serious injuries. In fact, she didn't seem too concerned about what had caused her injuries, or even where she was.

Cloud looked over her again. If she was upset, he decided, then she certainly wasn't showing it. Unless she didn't recall what had happened.

Ultimately, he decided to see what information he could get from her. "Do you know how you got here? Or at least what happened before you got here?" Keira became thoughtful.

"There was a really bad storm at home. I fell asleep and when I woke up, everything was pitch black. I lit a candle and noticed that it was extremely dark outside, and no one seemed to be inside. So I went outside and it was pouring rain. That's when I noticed that I wasn't at home anymore. Then this... er... Shadow Heartless-thing attacked me. A disembodied voice spoke to me and I killed the Heartless with that keyblade." Keira thought for a minute. "After fifteen minutes of getting nowhere, this dark copy of me, I guess, attacked me. There were two other people there, I think, but they didn't move toward me or anything. I must've lost to the carbon copy because… well, there was all that pain and the fountain and stuff. Since I have no idea how I could've gotten here, do you? And would you mind explaining this whole keyblade and Heartless nonsense?"

"Well..." Cloud began slowly. He didn't want to upset her, but her attitude still seemed off. "Supposedly every person has a least a tiny speck of darkness in their hearts, all except the seven Princesses of Heart. A man made it possible for that darkness to be turned into creatures called Heartless. Heartless come in all shapes, sizes, and appearances. The one you found is the most common, which was not made by that man. It's the embodiment of darkness, no heart." Keira nodded to show she understood what he was saying. "A witch named Maleficent has been controlling the Heartless for a while now and with the Heartless under her control, they have been taking over other worlds and destroying them." Sighing, Cloud ran a hand through his spiky, blond hair, "It seems that whatever you fought might've been a result of someone manipulating the darkness in your heart. It, likely, was strong enough to destroy your world, and since you lost to it... the Heartless took over your world."

Keira blinked a few times as if it helped her comprehend what was being said. "So... my world's... gone? And the people in it...?"

"Have probably either been killed or turned to Heartless," responded Cloud as if stating a simple fact. For him, there was no point in beating around the bush. Keira nodded and sighed, closing her eyes. "I suppose there's a chance they landed in another world, though."

"What about the keyblade? You haven't explained that."

"I don't know why you have it, but the King should." At this, Keira raised her eyebrows.

"The King?" she asked.

Cloud nodded. "King Mickey. I have no doubt that he's like no king that you've ever heard of."

"Looking at everything that's already happened, I'm not sure how surprising that is." Cloud uncharacteristically chuckled, something that Keira did not know was supposed to be another surprising event. All she knew was that he sounded nice when he laughed.

**XxX**

"Ya sure, Leon? That girl definitely has a Keyblade?" A high-pitched, squeaky voice spoke through the flat screen as Leon leaned back in a large blue chair. Leon nodded.

"There's no doubt about it. She's definitely another wielder, King Mickey." He replied, his voice once again flat.

King Mickey nodded thoughtfully. "This is just the thing I've sorta been expecting," he admitted. "And, I have a bit of news for ya. I've been looking through some books, and I found out there's a very strange world out there. Not to mention that I've heard some news that a group of keyblade wielders willingly turned to the darkness and destroyed their own world."

"That is strange," agreed Leon.. The King had a look on his face like he wanted to say more. "Is there something else?"

"Two things, actually. One, and this probably won't be too much of a surprise with a new wielder, the darkness is increasing again. Two, I found in an old note from Ansem the Wise about another Princess."

Leon raised his eyebrows. "Another one? Like another Princess of Heart?"

The King shrugged somewhat. "I have to read up some more before we jump to any conclusions. From what I've learned so far, it would really be bad for this Princess to wind up on the Heartless side. Worse than if the other seven princesses wound up with them."

"Why?" asked Leon. King Mickey simply shook his head and refused to say anything else. "Well, what do we do?"

"I already sent Riku, Sora, and Kairi a letter… I haven't mentioned the Princess part just yet. They're supposed to arrive at Disney Castle in a few days. In the meantime, don't let this girl out of your sight, just in case." The King paused for a moment, as if remembering something. "Where's the girl right now?"

"No worries, Your Majesty. Cloud's with her."

**XxX**

About an hour had passed, and no one had yet to return. Keira was starting to get very, very bored. She never had done well with sitting still for too long. Already, she was in a comfortable position, laying on her stomach on the wooden floor. "I hate sitting around and waiting. I especially hate waiting," she murmured most of the sentence but raised her voice for the last bit. Cloud glanced at her, slightly raising his eyebrows. Her right ankle, which had been wrapped, was now easily kicking at the wooden floor. The spell appeared to have healed her ankle.

"What would you like to do?" asked Cloud although he, admittedly, did not much care. He was not about to babysit the teenager outside of the house in order for her to run around. Keira was instantly thoughtful as she sat up and turned toward him.

"Not sit around," came the simple reply, irking Cloud somewhat. She got to her feet and strode across the room and to the door.

With some exasperation, Cloud asked, "Where do you think you're going?" He hated being the babysitter and knew that Yuffie would have a better time dealing with a girl that, like herself, could not sit still for more than five or so minutes.

"Out, to explore the town and stuff. This place can't be dangerous with a name like the Radiant Garden. Sheesh, you act like something's gonna jump out and attack me," lamented Keira as she opened the door and stepped outside. Cloud sighed, hating himself, as he rose from his seat and followed after. He only had to step outside to realize what a hassle this girl would be; she was perched on top of an adjacent building. Keira felt his eyes burning into her back and turned to smile at him. "You really don't get out enough, Cloud," she chastised him before gracelessly hopping from rooftop to rooftop, not exactly sure where the thought to do so or energy to do so was coming from.

Yes, thought Cloud as he put his hand on his face, this girl was definitely Yuffie's type.


	3. The Keyhole

III: The Keyhole

**A/n: 5.19.09: Whoa, I never gave this chapter an author's note! Okay, so let me say thank you to all my reviewers. Even if you're reviewing after I finished the story, I still LOVE reading and responding to reviews. They make me smile. :] Ah, and if the name change confuses you, well... it's not a mistake. Her name is Stefa and she's calling herself Keira. It'll all make sense later.**

**Disclaimer - No KH owning up in here.**

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Cloud wasn't quite sure how, but he had somehow managed to lose Keira during her roof-jumping excursion. After wandering through half of the town, he decided to check out the Bailey. Sure enough, he found Keira at the foot of the wrecked castle -- one of the few areas left that was not restored -- swinging her keyblade and attacking the walls and pillars.

As Cloud watched a few feet away, Keira ran forward and slipped on the water trickling on the ground. "Ouch," she murmured as she rubbed her ankle.

"I hope you're not planning on running into a battle with that sort of grace," taunted Cloud, smirking, from where he was leaning against the cliff wall with his arms crossed. He sort of had to agree with the old woman from the Marketplace: with her running around and attacking walls, Keira was kind of like a punk.

"Hmpf," huffed Keira without turning around. She knew that voice. Her hair was still somewhat wet -- her bangs plastered to her forehead while the rest of hair stuck to her neck. "If I bug you that much, then you don't need to follow me around, you know," came Keira's childish remark. "I'm a big girl; I can take care of myself."

Cloud nodded seriously. "Yeah. I could tell by the way you fell on your face," he replied before joining her.

"Knock it off," she whined as she lay her head on the wet ground, utterly defeated. "How long has this castle been in ruins anyway?" Keira asked for no reason; it was simply for the sake of knowing.

Cloud shrugged. "Hmm. What... at least two years."

"It's pretty," she mused. Cloud looked over the ruins, unable to truly see the beauty of the destroyed castle gates. Somehow, Keira could look at something broken and see it as beautiful; he didn't particularly understand that. "What a shame."

"Don't even think about it," said Cloud abruptly, and seriously as her eyes traveled to the actual castle in the distance. Keira's eyebrows knitted together.

"What?"

Cloud shook his head. "You're not going into that castle. There's only one safe part of the castle, and that's the lab."

"That was the farthest thing from my mind," she responded in a very unconvincing voice.

"Right."

Keira scowled. "Do you have to reign on my parade?" She flipped over on her stomach in order to look up at Cloud. Maybe he had been wrong about the whole she's-not-naïve thing after all.

"It seems like you have the tendency to get really bad ideas."

At this, she frowned and revealed her true colors. "Come on! It'll be fun!"

"That's definitely not the word to describe it." Cloud replied, exasperated.

"Cloud!" A voice called from the 'window' of the Bailey. They looked up to see Yuffie and Aerith waving.

Keira blinked. "Who're they?" she whispered as Yuffie, with her hand clasped onto Aerith's wrist, jumped down to join them. Both women landed with grace despite Aerith not being prepared for the jump.

"Aerith, the brunette, is the only reason why you're able to jump around on roofs and beat up crumbling walls," answered Cloud as Yuffie and Aerith approached them.

Yuffie grinned at Keira. "Ah, so she's finally awake."

"I'm glad to see you're alright," remarked Aerith with a soft smile.

"Yuffie, Aerith, this is Keira. The loud, short one is Yuffie." Cloud introduced the three girls.

Keira smiled lightly, and she bowed her head. "Nice to meet you both. And thank you, Aerith."

"Same here." Yuffie said before she crushed Keira in a suffocatingly-tight embrace.

"It was no problem, Keira."

Keira began to choke, "Yuffie... Can't. Breathe."

Yuffied giggled. "Oops. Sorry." She replied, rubbing the back of her head as she released Keira.

"What are you two doing around here anyway?" asked Aerith with the slight tilt of her head. It was apparent, even in her light tone, that she disapproved of having Keira running around already.

Cloud shook his head. "I followed Keira up here after a roof jumping escapade. Now she wants to go see the whole castle." He jerked his head toward the large building looming in the distance.

"I think that's a good idea," announced Yuffie with a nod. She would, though Cloud, find that to be a good idea.

"What?" Cloud and Aerith both remarked sharply.

"Yes!" said Keira under her breath.

Yuffie smiled innocently. "Well, it would be a good idea to make sure there aren't any Heartless in the castle, right? Make sure the keyhole's okay?" It was more of an excuse than a valid point.

"I guess that Aerith and I will wait down here. Be careful," he added with a meaningful stare directed at Yuffie. "Especially you, Keira. I highly doubt you know how to use that keyblade yet."

"Don't worry, I'll watch her. After all, I'm the great ninja, Yuffie!" replied the ninja as she grabbed Keira's wrist and started off.

"Oh, and Yuffie?" called Aerith.

Said ninja whirled around, "Yes?"

A faint smile appeared on Aerith's lips. "Don't let Leon catch you. If he finds out, he'll kill you. Especially if anything bad happens." Yuffie grinned widely and gave the two-fingered salute before she ran off with the younger girl to the castle. If there was any way to encourage Yuffie, it was to inform her that what she was doing would get her in a lot of trouble. "You think they'll be okay?"

"Well..." Cloud started, "At least they both have weapons."

Aerith didn't much like that response.

**XxxxxX**

Leon sprinted through the lab and down the corridors. He found that he was still relieved every time he ran through them and found neither Heartless nor Nobodies wrecking havoc. Finally, he snaked to the left and exited the castle. Passing the Postern, he headed back for Merlin's house when two figures caused him to skid to a stop a few feet away. "Cloud? Aerith?" asked Leon as his eyebrows knitting together.

At once, they turned around. Aerith's facial expression had a faint look of worry plastered to it while Cloud's was as expressionless a usual. "Leon," called Aerith.

He jumped the last few feet separating them and landed in front of them. "What are you guys doing here?" he asked, slightly suspiciously. "I was just about to go back to the house to tell everyone some--" He paused, realizing something was amiss. It was quiet. Too quiet.

"Where's Yuffie...?" asked Leon, becoming more suspicious by the minute. "And the other girl?"

Aerith and Cloud exchanged glances.

**XxxxxX**

"Jeez! This place sure is a mess," remarked Yuffie. "Though I have to admit that it has a bit of charm since Heartless aren't running around anymore."

"This place is so huge," said Keira with awe. "I never thought I'd actually be able to step into a real castle in my whole life."

Yuffie grinned, "I used to live here, before the Heartless came and forced us out of our world." She remarked with a nod. "I have trouble remembering, though."

"That's so cool," replied Keira, still in awe as she trailed her fingers against one of the green walls. She pricked her index finger on something sharp. "Looks like this place underwent some serious fighting."

"You bet," came Yuffie's response as she crossed her arms behind her head. "Sora was about thirteen, I think, when he, Donald, and Goofy fought here." She stated as they headed down a hallway and into the Lift Stop.

Keira blinked. "Who's Sora? And Donald? And... Goofy?" After taking a lift up to another level, and more walking through a confusing amount of corridors, they stopped in a very open room. Inside there were six glass cases on each side of the wall with large torches near each case.

"Sora is another Keyblade wielder. The Keyblade Master, they call him. He's a brave kid. About a year older than you now, if I'm guessing your age right. Goofy is King Mickey's Captain and Donald is the King's Magician... Cloud told you about the King, right?" The ninja asked, glancing in Keira's direction as she the girl nodded. She was approaching one of the cases, one hand reaching out in wonder. "Don't touch those. They'll cut you for sure." She warned; Keira quickly pulled away her hand.

"What was in these?" Keira asked, turning around to face Yuffie.

A faint smile appeared on her lips. "You mean _who_. Six of the Princesses of Heart: Aurora, Belle, Alice, Cinderella, Snow White, and Jasmine," she answered. "Maleficent was trying to use their hearts to open the door to Kingdom Hearts, but she needed the seventh for it to work."

"You only named six. And there are only six cases. Who's the seventh?" Keira asked. Yuffie tugged her forward, up a mini staircase, and atop a raised floor. At the top of the platform, they turned around and Yuffie pointed to a glass case over a long, but thin, ledge. The only way to get up to it was to jump onto the ledge.

"The seventh's name is Kairi." At this, Yuffie smiled evilly, "Sora's quite taken with Kairi. We're all wondering when they're both going to realize they love each other." Keira giggled a little and smiled,

"That's so cute," she remarked. The situation was, admittedly, quite familiar to her. She knew a boy that her best friend was convinced loved her, but she wasn't totally sure herself. Not that it mattered much now. For all she knew, both her best friend and other friend/crush were likely gone.

"Isn't it?" Yuffie turned to face Keira. "You seem to be thinking about something. Or should I say, someone?" She successfully made the girl's face turn red. "So, Keira, who--?" But she was interrupted by a large crash behind them. The ninja whirled around and stared in horror at the scene unfurling.

Keira followed suit. "What is that...?" She asked, slowly, as she stared at the life-sized keyhole.

"This world's keyhole... Shit!" The ninja cursed and pulled out her Shuriken as Shadows began to pop out of the floor.

"Heartless?!" cried Keira, knowing that she was not yet ready to fight another Heartless. Just as fast her keyblade appeared in a flash of light, comforting her a little.

"That Keyblade's not just for decoration, I hope?" Yuffie asked in a serious tone as she crouched.

Keira's eyes widened. "I've used it a few times," she squeaked before jumping into a battle stance with a tight grasp on the key.

**XxxxxX**

"They're not just inside the castle, but they're examining the keyhole too?" demanded Leon in a steely voice. That was a recipe for disaster, and he knew that he was not the only one who thought that. "Why would you let them do that?"

"Examining the keyhole ahead of time is a good idea, in case Heartless appear, Leon," Cloud replied in an indifferent voice. "If Keira was able to get here in the first place, then I think that it's something we should be prepared for."

"Besides, Yuffie's with her," pointed out Aerith although it was with a lack of confidence.

"_That's_ what I'm worried about. And what if the keyblade were to lure out Heartless?" asked Leon. The two fell quiet, knowing that there was no good response to his question. "We better go check on them, just in case," sighed Leon, raking a hand through his hair. With that, he led the way back into the castle.

**XxxxxX**

Yuffie and Keira were panting and pressed against the wall. The Heartless were easy enough to take out being lowly Shadows, but it was the quantity that had them doubling over for breath. "See if you can seal the keyhole with your Keyblade," Yuffie muttered in between huffs of breath. "I don't know that it'll doing anything... but it's worth a try."

"How?" Keira asked, trying to even out her breathing.

The ninja made a face. "I don't know exactly, but with your keyblade, you can see exactly where the keyhole is... your keyblade should help you do the rest." Yuffie replied, taking out several Heartless at once with her Shuriken. Chewing on her lip, Keira did as she was told and rushed forward, knocking out Heartless in her way. She jumped into the middle of the platform and faced the area where the Shadows were leaking out. Instantly, a keyhole shape flashed before her eyes and her keyblade was tugged forward. Suddenly, Keira knew what she was doing, but before she got the chance to seal the keyhole, about ten Shadows jumped on her. More joined her, burying her.

"Keira? Keira?!" Yuffie cursed again, and she rushed forward to take out more Heartless as two slashed at her arms. She glared daggers at them, but the glare did not, as she had hoped, kill them. Blood streamed down from her arm, and a strangled cry escaped from the pile of Heartless. The ninja drew in a deep breath before letting it out. "Hang on!" A Large Body appeared out of nowhere before her with its arms crossed around its chest. "...Oh, shit." Yuffie muttered as the large body rushed forward with much force and knocked her over.

In the meantime, Keira flailed her wielding-arm around, desperately trying to hit anything she could.

**XxxxxX**

The first thing Leon, Aerith, and Cloud noticed as they neared the keyhole was an increase in Heartless. No, the presence of Heartless, period. "This is bad." Leon muttered as he slashed them out with his sword.

"You're telling me," agreed Cloud as he wiped out several Knights. They rushed forward with Aerith tailing behind and entered the room. If they thought the Heartless problem was bad before, then it was nothing compared to now. It looked like the walls would collapse from the number of Heartless in the room.

"Yuffie!" Leon exclaimed as he ran forward to where the fallen ninja lay. Her arm was covered in some blood, and there was also blood streaming from her mouth. He picked her up gently and tilted her upwards.

Her dark brown eyes fluttered opened. "...Sorry...S-Squall..." She muttered, weakly.

Leon smirked weakly, "That's Leon." Even Yuffie managed to muster a weak smile.

"Where's Keira?" Cloud asked urgently.

"I-I asked her to g-go seal the keyhole... I th-think the heartless got h-her..." She replied quietly. The way she phrased it, it sounded like the Heartless had stolen Keira's heart. Cloud nodded before rushing up the stairs and onto the raised level. A mass of Shadows were in the center, and Cloud knew where Keira was instantly. With a swipe of his large sword, the Heartless vanished. He slashed a few more times until the Heartless were no longer a large pile.

In the center of the platform lay the limp form of Keira. Her dirty blond and black streaked hair covered her face, and a good amount of blood covered her skin. The red tank and jeans were somewhat ripped. Cloud rushed forward and gently scooped her up bridal style. Keira's hair fell away from her face to reveal her mouth was bleeding and her face was covered with various scratches.

She smiled somewhat. "Hey, Cloud, I told you I could take care of myself. Well, at least when you're around." At this, the normally curt, emotionless Cloud felt softened.

"You're careless," was all he said in response to hide what he was truly feeling. Aerith, standing at the top of the stairs, could tell even from a distance.

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**A/N: Awww. Alright, so I realize this is my second chapter to be submitted in one day. I'm afraid that since term's ending in a few weeks that I won't be able to update that much, so I'm trying to get out as much as I can. You'll appreciate it in the long run. 'Till next chapter!**


	4. The Mistaken Arrival

**A/N: 5.21.09: Ah, I'm so excited. I love doing these new notes and getting to look at my old notes. So, I changed that extremely OOC thing from the end of last chapter; it just... bothered me. Dx  
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** 41 hits for three chapters in a fix like this? Not bad. :D Thank you my wonderful viewers, and one wonderful reviewer. xD I realize Cloud was OOC last chapter, but it kinda was meant to happen for entertainment and the purposes of the story. So... hah. If you didn't like it, dun read. I'm not picking on you, Fuyu because you are awesome and I love you. xDD**

**For the record, **_**'this'**_** is a nobody speaking in mind and **_'this'_** is a regular person's thoughts and whatnot. Oh, you'll figure it out. Anyway, onto the chapter.**

**Disclaimer - If I owned Kingdom Hearts, well... the new games would be up by now.  
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A week had passed since the fiasco at the castle. Yuffie had long since healed while Keira had healed a few days after her. Said teenager frowned. "So... locking the worlds helps keep heartless away?" Leon, Yuffie, Aerith, Cloud, and Keira were once again in the living room inside of Merlin's house. Leon was leaning against one of the walls, as well as Cloud, and Yuffie was sprawled across the same couch as the one Aerith was sitting on. Keira glanced around at them all as she sat up on another couch.

"Pretty much, yeah." Leon replied, nodding. "Sometimes, even that doesn't work, especially if the world has a naturally dark heart. That means that, even when the world is sealed, there's a potential for many heartless still to be around. It just saves the world from being swallowed by darkness." Keira was barely listening to his explanation; she was still struggling to understand what had happened to her world and what she had to do to get it back.

"And this... King Mickey, does he know why I'm another chosen one?" Leon shook his head.

"He wouldn't really tell me what he knew. But, Sora should be here soon and you might be able to go off with him. The King said he'd be at Disney Castle in a few days."

"But there are still other worlds that need to have their keyholes checked out, pronto." Yuffie frowned, stifling a yawn.

"You're one to talk, you lazy ninja." Leon said, shaking his head. Yuffie pouted.

"Be nice, Squall."

"Stop calling me that!"

"Oy." Keira sighed as she shook her head at their fight. She'd only been in the Radiant Garden for about a week, but she had already adjusted to everyone's antics. She frowned deeply and slumped in her seat somewhere. Around her was the air of someone who was extremely annoyed--- with no one other than herself.

"Don't beat yourself up." Aerith said as if reading the girl's thoughts. Keira blinked and looked up at the older woman. In the background Yuffie and Leon were still fighting. She smiled lightly before getting to her feet, shouldering her keyblade and walking toward the door. When her hand was on the doorknob, she announced:

"I'm going for a walk." Then, she stepped outside and closed the door carefully behind her. The first day she had arrived, the streets were constantly full and there was always a crowd that could only be passed by pushing and yelling. Not to mention, Keira hadn't had a use for her Keyblade. The same went for the second and third days. But after that, the heartless number increased tenfold and few people presently left their homes. She sighed and jumped onto the ledge overlooking the large ocean below.

Keira closed her eyes, and reopened them just as quickly in order to whip around and take out a Shadow. "Stupid heartless." She muttered as she sat on the ledge and dangled her legs over the side with an ocean view. The wind was blowing softly and gently whipping her hair around. Today Keira had chosen to throw it in a high ponytail in order to see better although her left eye was still covered by her long bangs.

_'Why am I so weak? It's only been a week, but still. This is ridiculous. And besides, that Sora kid isn't coming anytime soon.'_ Keira smirked. She was willing to give herself a second chance. The Keyblade wielder jumped to her feet and walked the ledge all the way to the Bailey before disappearing from view.

**XxxxxX**

"That kid's too hard on herself." An older man with blond hair commented. He was sitting on the computer chair while facing the others; they nodded in agreement.

"What did the King tell you anyway, Squall?" Yuffie asked, ignoring the swordsman's protests.

"All he said was that there's another Princess." Leon replied. "He wouldn't tell me much, though; he wanted to make sure he was right before spurting out his theories."

"So... another Princess of Heart?" Cloud asked quietly. Leon shrugged.

"I'm not sure. Somehow I don't think there would be another Princess of Heart we didn't know about. Otherwise the door wouldn't have been opened before."

"Leon's probably right." Aerith agreed. "There must be another Princess of something else."

"But what could another Princess be if not a Princess of Heart?" asked Cid as he turned back to his computer.

"Who knows? We could try to search Ansem's computer to see if he knew anything about another Princess." Leon suggested. "It's probably our best bet since the King can't figure anything out."

"Why did the King bring this up when you told him about Keira?" Yuffie asked as she raised an eyebrow.

"He must think she's the Princess."

"But there's probably lots of female Keyblade wielders." The young ninja sighed. "What makes him so sure?"

"He was probably just stating it because Leon told him that there was a female Keyblade wielder with us." replied Cloud with a weak shrug. "I wouldn't go so far as to say that this girl is _the_ Princess."

**XxxxxX**

"I can't believe we had to leave home already." A boy with spiky chocolate-colored hair sighed as he leaned back in a yellow chair. He was relatively tall and appeared to be around fifteen.

"Are you really that surprised? We knew that Maleficent wasn't dead." Another boy replied as he leaned forward in his chair. His long, silver hair covered his eyes somewhat. The boy's eyes were a breathtaking shade of seafoam green. He was much taller than the other boy and seemed to be roughly sixteen. They were sitting in the cockpit of some brand of a ship. As they flew through the sky, they passed differently colored and shaped meteors.

"I guess, but I was kind of hoping we could be home longer." The first boy responded. "It's a good thing we took Kairi with us; she might've freaked out completely if we had left her behind again." He stated before throwing a glance back at the third chair where a girl with long auburn hair was curled up. Her outfit was a pink dress with a lower white layer. Even though she was curled into a ball, it was easy to tell that she was shorter than both boys, though she looked seemed to be about the same age as the spiky-haired one.

"Heh. It's a good thing Kairi can wield a Keyblade so you don't have to freak out about her being with us." The silver-haired boy retaliated.

"Wh-what's that supposed to mean?"

"You know that you love her, Sora." Silver-haired boy sighed impatiently. "I don't understand why you two can't either figure it out or admit it."

"I have no idea what you're talking about." The boy named Sora muttered under his breath.

_**'Yes you do, so stop being stupid.' **_A voice in the back of Sora's barked at him.

_'Shut up, Roxas.' _Sora growled within the confines of his head.

_**'You are too clueless, Sora. Then again, Naminé can't get Kairi to budge either.'**_

_'Speaking of Naminé, how come you haven't told her how _you_ feel?'_ Sora teased his nobody. At this, Roxas fell silent and Sora was satisfied that he had won.

"Earth to Sora!" The other boy exclaimed, shaking Sora out of his mental argument.

"What's wrong, Riku?" asked Sora with an alarmed expression.

The silver-haired boy had quickly picked up when Sora and Roxas were having conversations after just a few days of being with the spiky-haired boy once more. "Stop talking to your nobody and pay attention to the road. If you can call it that." Riku added in afterthought. "You nearly drove us into a meteor."

"Well then, you should've shot it down with the laser." Sora replied hotly as he raised his eyebrows; Riku just barely flushed.

"Shut up."

"Anyway, why do you think the King sent us the Gummi ship and told us to go to the Radiant Garden immediately?" Sora finally asked Riku, keeping his eyes on the 'road' before them. He steered the ship away from another meteor. Naturally, they weren't really on a road, but following a familiar route leading to the Radiant Garden in space.

Riku was only somewhat exasperated with his best friend's question. He wondered how Sora had managed to figure out that Riku had been following him all last year if he couldn't remember the King's spoken words. "All he said was that the others will explain. What're their names again?" he added with his eyebrows furrowed in thought.

"Leon's the tall brunet that uses the Gunblade. Aerith is the girl with the long pink dress and hiking boots. Her hair's always tied back in a long braid with ribbons. Yuffie is the short and hyper ninja." Sora paused to laugh as he remembered past events with them. "Uh, Cid is the old man with blond hair. He's a wiz at computers and Gummi ships. Merlin's the wizard--he'll be easy to tell apart from the others, trust me. And Cloud is tall and has spiky blond hair. I don't know if he returned to the Radiant Garden, though." The teenage boy recalled the last time he had been at the Radiant Garden. After beating Sephiroth or, at least, tiring him a little, Cloud had come and they had taken their fight to another world.

"Alright. I guess I've got it memorized." Riku muttered although he was quite certain he'd forget when they arrived. Unlike Sora, he had a bad memory when it came to people. Sora grinned at Riku's wording, as did his nobody.

_'Remind you of somebody?'_

_**'Axel.'**_ Sora could just hear the smirk in his Nobody's voice. Turning his focus back to what he was doing, Sora blinked with surprise. "We're at the Radiant Garden, prepare to land." Riku nodded and put on his seat belt as Sora glanced backwards at the sleeping girl. "Hey, Kairi. _Kairi_." The boy raised his voice a little. Kairi slowly began to stir and yawned. As she began to sit up, she rubbed at her strange yet beautiful indigo eyes.

"What is it, Sora?" She asked in a groggy voice as she stretched her arms.

"Put your seat belt on. We're landing, Princess." Sora answered with another grin. Kairi threw the pillow that she had been laying on at the Keyblade master.

"Lazy bum." She muttered before clicking the seatbelt into place and stretching out her legs.

"Sora, you know where to land, right?" Riku asked with a raised eyebrow.

"Sora, you do know _**how**_ to land, right?" Kairi added in a nervous voice.

Sora responded with a weak smile."Of course. I watched Donald do it all the time." Kairi and Riku exchanged one look that said 'Oh, no.' Sora pushed forward a lever and the ship instantly began to hurl downwards.

"SORA!" The two yelled as the ship hurled straight for the Radiant Garden.

"Oops?"

**XxxxxX**

Keira paused at the foot of the castle, below the Postern. **(A/n: At the foot of the trail of the Restoration Site.)** Her Keyblade was in her hand as she had just taken out a few more heartless. Something that looked like a bright speck was floating in the sky. As she stared up at it, she realized that it wasn't a falling star like she had expected, but something else entirely. After a few more seconds, she realized that the object was hurling for the Castle's Gates. Following the resounding crash, Keira ran forward to see what had just crashed in her home away from home.

She ran away from the Restoration Site and paused at the end of the path. Keira looked down from the overlooking piece of land and saw that a ship of some sort had crashed. Curiosity got the best of her, and she ran down the rest of the trail with her Keyblade in hand.

Sora, Kairi, and Riku climbed out of the mess of a ship. "Nice job, Sora." Riku commented stiffly as he walked away from it. The figure of Keira reached his seafoam eyes first, and he quickly called upon Way to Dawn.

Keira, taking his battle stance as an understandable threat, held her Keyblade tightly as she glared at Riku. "Riku!" Kairi called from behind him as she joined Sora several feet behind Riku. "Who's that?" She whispered.

He replied with a shrug and an, "I've never seen her before." **(A/n: Note that Leon mentioned Sora's name alone but neither Riku nor Kairi speak it, so Keira doesn't know who they are. She should get it from their appearances, but...)**

"Never trust what, or rather who, you don't know." The silver-haired boy stated as he rushed Keira with Way to Dawn. Keira held up her own Keyblade (which she had already named Shadow Heart) in order to block his attack.

"Wait, Riku!" Kairi cried, "what if she isn't a threat?" Sora put a hand on Kairi's shoulder in order to prevent her from running forward.

"Calm down, Kai. Besides, the King mentioned something about other Keyblade wielders with bad intentions. She could be one of them." He answered in a murmur that was supposed to soothe her. Instead, it caused the girl to whirl around and glare.

"You don't know whether she is or isn't a threat either." Keira jumped backwards and threw her Keyblade at Riku who blocked it with his own. She landed on the overlooking ledge and glared at the boy as he advanced on her. Riku jumped upwards just as the teenage girl recalled her Keyblade.

"Wow." murmured Sora, "She's pretty skilled. Who _is_ this girl?"

**XxxxxX**

"Leon," An old man huffed as he stood in the doorway of the house. He had a long white beard that almost reached the bottom of his blue robe. The whole room turned to stare at him.

"Merlin, what is it?" asked Leon urgently as he approached him.

"I've just been to the marketplace," Merlin began, panting, "and as I neared here, I heard weaponry clashing near the Bailey. You should go check it out." He said as he entered the house and collapsed onto a nearby couch. The old wizard was finally beginning to show his age.

"And look who's missing from the picture," mused Cloud as he also walked toward the door.

Leon glanced back at him. "Are you coming, then?" He asked, taking the blond man's silence as an affirmative. The two swordsmen hurried out of the house and towards the Bailey.

**XxxxxX**

"Give up?" mocked Keira as she flipped over Riku and landed on the ground where the ship had crashed.

"Right," murmured Riku as he ran fast enough at her that he appeared to be nothing more than a blur. In a quick slicing motion, he struck at Keira's feet and knocked her to the cement. With Way to Dawn pointed at her throat, Riku asked, "Who gives up now?"

"Stop!" The voices of two men shouted from above as Cloud and Leon jumped and landed a foot or so away from them.

"Both of you, call off your Keyblades." Leon ordered in a strict tone that caused all Keyblades (including Sora's) to disappear.

Sora blinked dumbly a few times. "Leon? Cloud? What...--?" He began but was cut off.

"I could ask the same thing,"replied Leon as he stared at the four teenagers with expectance. "You two, what did you think you were doing?" He demanded with a hard stare at Riku and Keira. Both wielders exclaimed that they thought the other one was from the "other side."

Riku snorted, "Yeah, _me_ with the _heartless_." Sora and Kairi were the only ones who found this funny.

"You could've fooled me with that keychain," pointed out Keira with a deep glare at the Heartless keychain attached to Way to Dawn's hilt.

The silver-haired boy could come up with no response, so he simply settled for, "hmpf."

"Keira is why you three are here." Cloud stated. He seemed to be holding back from rolling his eyes.

"Huh?" The Destiny Island trio was dumbfounded as Keira smirked and stuck out her tongue.

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**A/N: I just had to throw Roxas into the mix. And the fight may seem OOC on Riku's part, but I thought it was... 'necessary'. Heh, yeah right. Anyway, OOC warnings are in the description. :P At any rate, see you next chapter! Please review!  
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	5. Return to the Castle

**A/N: 5. 21. 09: Ahh, more editing. I can't believe that War of a Nobody has more reviews than this. xD' Ah well. Anyway, old note:**

**Holy hemmas. My story has seventy hits? How did that happen? I'd comment on my reviews, but last time I did that, a reviewer yelled at me, so I'll let Fuyu do it. xDD**

**Yep, Riku won the battle. I figured it would be unfair if Keira won because she hasn't been screwing with a Keyblade as long as Riku. x3 I had to bring Roxas in. You may want to keep your thoughts on him. -hinthint- Yush, I totally love you, you are my favorite person.**

**Back to the story! R&R  
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Keira's antics earned her a smack on the head from Leon. She pouted, but after realizing it had no effect whatsoever on the Gunblade wielder, she sucked in her lip and became completely quiet.

"We're here because _she's_ another Keyblade wielder?" Sora guessed as the group headed through the Bailey. Before anyone had the chance to comment that he was stating the obvious, he added, "One for our side, the one that King Mickey mentioned."

Leon nodded. "Yeah." He replied as they passed the path that would lead to the Borough and, thus, Merlin's house. Sora frowned at the realization. "You can see them later; we have to go to the Castle." The gunblade wielder was all business and no nonsense. Sora and Riku's eyebrows furrowed.

"Why?" They asked in perfect unison as Keira fell quietly in step with Cloud, kicking at the ground as she walked. Leon stole a quick glance at her before answering.

"The Keyhole needs to be sealed. And I think the King might have more information for us."

"Information? On what?" asked Kairi, speaking for the first time to Leon.

"The King thinks there's another Princess. He's not too sure of what, though, Princess." Leon replied causing blood to rush to Kairi's cheeks.

"And what about her?" Riku gestured lamely toward Keira who threw a glare in his direction.

"_I _lost my world." She replied in a voice that said she wasn't someone who could be spoken about like she wasn't there.

"And that's when you got the Keyblade." Sora stated, nodding. "Now _that_ sounds familiar." He relaxed somewhat and crossed his arms behind his head.

"It sounds like someone's running out of ideas." **(A/n: I don't remember what that means, but it sounds like a shot at myself. xD) **Riku replied with a meek shrug. "The King doesn't really think that _she's_ this missing Princess, right?" He asked with a glance at Leon.

Before he could answer, Keira growled, "My name is Keira, so stop talking about me like I'm an object or someone who's not standing right near you, damn it!" She glared daggers at Riku and, before she could try to pick another fight with him, Cloud held her by the elbow firmly.

"You never let me have any fun." She muttered under her breath once again causing Cloud to shake his head.

"You think it's fun to lose battles?" He replied in a quiet voice, causing Keira to fold her arms.

"Teen angst." Riku sighed with a small shake of his head.

Kairi raised her eyebrows. "Remind me how old you are again, Riku?" She requested with a small smirk while Sora laughed and Leon mustered a smile.

"Anyway, are we going to the lab first or to seal the keyhole?" asked Sora as he looked from Leon to Cloud. Abruptly, Keira realized that she was once again at the passageway leading to the inside of the Castle.

"Do you even have to ask, Sora?" muttered Riku.

"Haha, right." The younger boy replied, rubbing his head. As they entered the hallway, the group took a left and a few more turns. "Geez, this place sure has gotten confusing. And that's saying something since the first time it was pretty bad what with heartless jumping out everywhere."

"Yuffie mentioned to me a few days ago that Kairi's a princess," Keira remembered with a small head bow in the direction of said girl. "Is it really a good idea if she comes with us when the Keyhole's been opened?" Both of the boys snorted.

"Do you actually think we'd let something happen to her?" They asked together.

"And besides," Kairi said, "I can use a Keyblade, too." Keira nodded,

"I forgot about that one. Sorry." Kairi smiled with liking at the younger girl as she broke away from her body guards to walk beside Keira. It didn't take long for the two girls to ask each other about their homes and lives. The four men walked slightly ahead of the girls.

"She's... different." Sora commented.

"Who is?" asked Leon as he kept his eyes on the path in front of them. His hand was on the hilt of his sheathed Gunblade.

"Keira." The boy replied. "When I lost my home I was worried about finding my friends and I was sad and confused. It's just that... she doesn't seem to care. But she's been here for a week, right?"

Cloud shrugged in response. "Well, she didn't seem all that shaken up when she first got here, either," he remarked. "It is a little weird, I guess, but maybe she has a different way of dealing with greif." Sora had to agree with that as Cloud seemed to be the same type of person.

"Maybe she didn't have any friends," commented Riku with a smirk.

"Riku!" shouted Sora as he turned toward his best friend with a hard stare.

"I wasn't saying it to be a jerk. It's just that maybe she didn't have any friends. Or family. Nothing to be attached to?" He suggested, causing Sora to blink.

"I guess that's... possible?" He muttered.

"You're making her sound like Cloud." A female's voice from above them said, making everyone but Cloud look up.

"Tifa." He said with slight amusement as the girl released herself from the ceiling and landed before the four of them.

"She's like Yuffie." Leon muttered, referring to the way she had been hiding in the ceiling. Tifa Lockhart smiled at Sora.

"It's been a while. It's nice to see you, Sora." She said as he nodded.

"Same here. But... wait. I thought both you and Cloud had left?" He asked with an understandable amount of confusion.

"He defeated Sephiroth and we came back." Tifa replied simply. "...Well, he defeated Sephiroth and came back. I just found out last week that he was back here." She added with a frown. Sora smiled lightly. It was obvious to him that Tifa was quite taken with Cloud. Aerith may've been, too, but it was hard to tell because she seemed to care about everyone the same amount--- a lot. Kairi, having fallen behind, ran into Sora in an attempt to catch up.

"Riku, this is Tifa. Tifa, Riku." The silver-haired boy nodded respectively. "Oh, and Kairi, this is Tifa Lockhart: a friend of Cloud's. And Tifa, this is Kairi." Sora introduced and felt a faint blush appear on his cheeks as Tifa smiled knowingly.

"It's a _pleasure_ to meet you, Princess." Tifa only knew that Kairi was a Princess and also knew how much Sora cared for her because they had spoken a few times after running into him the last time they'd been at the Radiant Garden together.

"It's nice to meet you, too." replied Kairi. "Um, please don't call me Princess." She added with a nervous smile. Sora turned around.

"Hey, Kai, where's Keira?" He asked with his head tilted to the side.

"Uhm... well..." She trailed off. Definitely not a good sign.

"Oh, no." Both Leon and Cloud sighed.

"Who's Kera?" Tifa asked, feeling a little perplexed.

"She's great, you'd love to meet her." Cloud muttered; Tifa was surprised to hear the sarcasm in his voice.

"What happened, Kairi?" Leon asked as he turned to the hallway they'd just come from.

"A lot of heartless popped up and Keira said she didn't want to be responsible for me losing my heart, so she told me to catch up with you guys. I wouldn't have listened hadn't a heartless pushed me forward." Kairi murmured. "Not to mention a certain someone urged me to go." She muttered so low that only Sora could hear her.

"How many heartless?" asked Riku, already with Way to Dawn in hand.

"A lot." Kairi answered. "Too many."

"It's like they're after her or something." Cloud muttered as he pulled out his Buster Sword. Just as they were about to take off, a laid back-looking Keira came walking down the hallway with her Keyblade resting on her shoulder.

She laughed at the expressions on their faces. "You look like you've just seen a ghost or something." Keira smiled as she shook her head. "I told you that I didn't need anyone to take care of me," she reminded Cloud as her smile transformed into a smirk; Cloud did have to hand it to her.

"You did, you're right." He admitted with a faint smile of defeat on his face. Tifa became thoughtful and silent for a few minutes before walking past the crowd and stopping in front of Keira.

"I'm a friend of Cloud's, Tifa Lockhart." She said, holding out her hand.

"Good to meetcha, I'm Keira." The girl replied as she took Tifa's hand and shook it. Her eyes drifted to the others. "Don't we have to seal that keyhole?" She reminded the others. The group continued on and this time, as the three girls began to talk to one another, they kept pace with the men.

"I wonder if four Keyblades could seal that Keyhole better than one?" Leon said to no one in particular as they passed through the Chapel and through a lift stop.

"There's no hurt in trying." Sora stated as they appeared in the hall. Its condition was a lot worse than what he remembered.

"It looks like this because of the last fight, probably." Leon said, as if reading Sora's mind. This misled Sora into thinking the Swordsman was referring to Sora and 'Riku's' fight.

"It didn't look like this when I last sealed the Keyhole." Sora commented with knitted eyebrows as he thought back.

The Gunbladesman shook his head. "I meant when Yuffie and Keira were fighting the heartless." Leon smirked, briefly ruffling Sora's hair.

"Oh." Sora muttered as they ascended the stairs in front of the Keyhole.

"Alright, guys, do your thing." Leon ordered as he stood back with Tifa and Cloud to watch.

As the wielders approached the keyhole, Riku turned toward Kairi. "Your Keyblade will pretty much do it on its own, Kairi." He informed her as he held out Way to Dawn, noticing the girl give her Keyblade a perplexed look. Sora did the same as Riku with Oblivion and the two girls followed suit with Shadow Heart and Kairi's unnamed Keyblade. Four beams of light shot out from each tip and joined at the Keyhole. A light shone and the keyhole disappeared. The four teens turned around.

"Alright, now let's go check out Ansem's study." Leon said as he turned around.

"No need, fellas, I'm right down here!" a high-pitched voice squeaked as the mouse king from below made himself known. Everyone turned around to look at the King, as if to make sure he was real. Behind him stood a white duck who was holding a staff and a tall 'dog' holding a shield.

Sora grinned. "Your Majesty! Donald! Goofy!" He exclaimed, jumping from the platform and embracing the Knight and Magician in one huge hug.

"Gawrsh, Sora, it hasn't even been that long yet," laughed Goofy as he hugged back the teenager. Even Donald returned the Keyblade Master's hug with a large smile. Sora smiled sheepishly and released Donald and Goofy before he could cut off their air supply.

"To what do we owe this honorable visit?" Tifa asked as she and the rest of the group descended the steps.

"Welp, we've got a pretty big mess on our hands, fellas," responded King Mickey with one of the gravest voices either Sora or Riku had ever heard him use.

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**A/n: For the record, while Mickey's last sentence is true, I was listening to the song of the same name by TAI. xDD' Please review!**


	6. Riddles in the wake of fire

**A/N: 5.22.09 - The name has, as you should have noticed by now, undergone a third change. Now Keira instead of Kera. Why? Because... it'll make more sense in the next story. :3 Not much else to add except I'm doing more minor changes in here...  
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**I hope that I haven't confused any older viewers what with the name change. I decided that I wanted Kat to be Kera. Why? Because the name Kat is unimaginative and icky. No offense meant to anyone since it's my middle name shortened anyway! xD''  
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Kairi was tired. No, she was absolutely _exhausted_. That much was obvious what with the absence of a blush while she laid her head against Sora's shoulder. Sora, however, was blushing enough for the both of them; he was a bright tomato red. The two 'lovebirds' were sitting on the stairs next to Riku. Donald and Goofy were sitting above the trio. Keira was sitting on the top of the 'wall' of the platform with Tifa leaning against it. **(A/N: Blah. I suck at description. You know the stairs that lead up to the platform with the Radiant Garden keyhole? And you can like jump or sit on the platform 'wall'? That's what that is.)** Leon and Cloud were leaning on the opposite wall, and the King was in the center of them all.

"If ya didn't figure it out already, Maleficent is very much alive." He started as he paced in circles. "And it seems she's got lots of Keyblade wielders on her side. Even worse is that all the world's keyholes have been unlocked again." Leon smiled humorlessly.

"As we figured." He commented. King Mickey nodded.

"She's after the seven Princesses of Heart, again, too." Instinctively, Sora's arm wrapped around Kairi and he held her securely and tightly to his body. The corners of Riku's mouth twisted upward slightly.

"Has she captured any of them yet?" Riku asked, glancing from his best friends to the mouse king.

King Mickey shook his head. "Not yet. But if we don't take action soon, she might." The King replied in a grave voice. "There's also another Princess." Cloud, who had been looking at the floor in deep thought, glanced up.

"Do you know who yet?" He asked quietly as the King nodded.

"Yes..." King Mickey replied ever so slowly, almost hesitantly. Keira tilted her head as her eyebrows furrowed.

"Great! Who is it?" The King looked at the teenager for the first time. Her dirty blond and black streaked bangs covered her right eye, making her true expression unreasonable. Her face was excited, her mouth smiling.

"You." He sighed out after a few minutes of silence. There was a shocked silence. Even more silence passed until Keira fell backwards and hit the ground with a thud.

**XxxxxX**

"She took that a little worse than I had expected." The mouse King stated uncertainly ten minutes after the fact. Everyone had relocated to the platform with Cloud holding the teenager.

"Well, what did you expect?" asked Kairi as she looked over the girl with pity. "If I had been told I was a Princess of Heart before losing my heart, I would've probably done the same."

"So what is Maleficent after this girl for? What is Keira a princess of?" Cloud asked, looking up at King Mickey from his spot on the floor.

"'Keira' isn't a princess of anything. A while ago, it was discovered that their were seven girls who were princesses of purest hearts. Then, in his studies, Ansem the Wise discovered that there was another girl. Her heart was completely tainted, but it was still pure. The taint covering it slowly fell away, but it remained on half of her heart. The other part of the girl's heart was pure. She was also a Keyblade wielder. It's believed that a girl named Stefa is this princess." The King explained before falling quiet.

"Stefa?" Tifa asked quietly. "Her name is Stefa?" The King nodded slowly.

Everyone was deeply confused by this. "But why would she lie about something as trivial as a name?" Cloud asked.

"Maybe she wasn't lying," suggested Sora, uncharacteristically quietly. "Maybe she... forgot." All eyes were on him. Kairi stirred against him. Her eyes, which had been on Keira earlier, were closed again. It was apparent that she was still listening closely to the conversation whilst resting her eyes.

Now, she faced everyone with her indigo eyes once more. "How could she have forgotten her name? Didn't she tell Cloud about what had happened to her?" Kairi asked the room at large.

"It's... difficult to understand." The King agreed, nodding, "But she's definitely Stefa. I looked up Keira in many old files and found nothing, but I found a lot on Stefa." He smiled humorously, "Ansem was keeping close tabs on her."

"That's why the heartless keep going after her, I guess." Leon stated as he ran a hand through his hair, "Now the real question is, what are we going to do about her?"

As Kairi sat up, Sora stretched. "We kind of need her for our side of the war," remarked Sora as he moved his arms behind his head and stood up and looked around the familiar room.

"And we need to keep her from the other side," added Riku.

"But," Kairi broke in, "I bet she'll be really upset if you forbid her to fight." Both boys stared at her.

"How do you know?" asked Riku as he quirked an eyebrow.

The teenager rolled her eyes and batted a piece of hair out of her face. "Because I'd kill the both of you if forbid me from fighting now and leaving me behind again." She answered matter-of-factly. Sora and Riku smirked, knowing she was right.

"I guess you Princesses all think alike?" quacked Donald.

"I wouldn't say that, exactly." Kairi replied, shrugging.

"We can figure out things later, right?" added Tifa as she also got to her feet.

"Tifa's right. Let's head back." Cloud agreed as he stood; the weight of the girl he was holding did not seem to bother him in the least.

"You sure you're alright with carrying her?" Leon asked. At Cloud's nod, he turned to the other visitors, "You're all going to stay here, right?" The new group nodded.

"Where are we going to stay?" Sora wondered aloud.

"Isn't it obvious? At Merlin's." Tifa answered, descending the stairs and leading the way out of the room.

"Gawrsh, all of us stayin' at Merlin's?" a bewildered Goofy repeated.

Leon smirked, "Merlin's house may look small, but he's used magic to make it very large on the inside." He informed everyone. "All of us can fit there."

"Alright then! Onward to Merlin's house. I can't wait to see Yuffie, Aerith, Cid, and Merlin." Sora added with a small smile. Kairi released a small yawn as the large group followed after Tifa

**XxxxxX**

Keira had received a room in Merlin's house since the first day she had arrived. It was relatively large, as were all of the rooms. Not to mention, it seemed Merlin had used magic to make the rooms fit the personality and liking of the person who stayed in them. Upon arriving back at the house, Cloud placed her in her large bed and left.

The King appeared to be in a very in-depth conversation with everyone excluding Cloud, Tifa, and, of course, Keira. Obviously, he was explaining the current situation to Aerith, Yuffie, Cid, and Merlin with the others assisting him with some details. Once Cloud reached the bottom of the large staircase, he instantly noticed Tifa staring at the computer screen with slight interest. She seemed to feel his eyes on her back, for she quickly whirled around to face him.

"Hi." She greeted her friend, surveying him with her chocolate eyes.

Cloud's eyes did not reveal any emotion Tifa seemed to be searching for. "Hey." He replied as he settled on the stone isle in the center of the room. Slowly, she approached Cloud and took a seat beside him.

"It seems that you've found another person to soften up too, hm?" She asked in a conversational tone that attempted to lure him into thinking that she was really uninterested. Cloud quickly looked up from the ground and into Tifa's eyes.

His clear blue eyes were a bit wider than usual. "What?" asked he quickly; the surprise in his voice betrayed him. Tifa smiled and giggled quietly.

"You heard me." She replied with a smirk. "You're worried about her. Do you see yourself in her at least a tiny bit?" Cloud had to hand it to Tifa, she was very sharp.

"I suppose a little." At this, Tifa's smile became more precise.

"Good. It seems like she needs someone to care about her. Especially if she really didn't have anyone back home." She stated, her smile relenting a bit. "It must be sad. I feel bad for her." Cloud shook his head a little.

"You always seem pretty attached to the younger ones, you know." He said as the corners of his mouth slowly tilted upwards, revealing a faint smile.

"Oh, I am," replied Tifa unashamedly. "Especially in cases like these. But it's good to finally see _you_ smile. You beat Sephiroth, so you should be happy."

"What about everyone else back at home? If they're still okay, I mean." Cloud murmured in a melancholy tone.

"Hey, at least a few of them made it here. Including Marlene and Denzel." She added with a smile. Cloud nodded, the smile once again on his face.

"You're right." He agreed.

"And the rest of them are very stubborn, so I'd barely worry about their safety." Tifa added as she cast her eyes up at the ceiling.

**XxxxxX**

The room was filled with moonlight by the time Keira had awoken. Her white curtains were blowing serenely from the wind. She slowly sat back and pulled away the white curtains from her bed. **(A/n: It's a canopy bed.)** Keira ran her right hand through her hair (which, she admitted, felt a little gross) and pushed her long bangs away from her face. "How long have I been out, anyway?" she asked the room as she stood up and headed across the wooden floor for the door.

Outside, the hallway was empty and tranquil. Not wanting to disturb anyone, Keira quietly tiptoed down the hallway and down the staircase. The bottom floor was equally empty. She sighed, causing the bangs that had fallen over her face to be blown back up for a brief moment. Keira settled herself on the computer chair. _'I need some fresh air.'_ The teen decided and, just as quickly as she sat down, she was back up and headed for the front door. She opened it super slowly to prevent it from squeaking and closed it nearly all the way as she stepped outside.

The temperature outside was pleasant. It was cool with the wind blowing and the night sky was also beautiful to look at. _'Quince, how is it that I can still remember you when I can't remember myself...?'_ She thought with another sigh as a certain sadness came to her eyes. "_Why_ do I still bother to remember you is an even better question."

"Who do you remember now, Stefa?" A male voice spoke from overhead. Keira whirled around and cast her eyes higher up. Sitting on the roof above the door was a boy with long and straight black hair. He smirked, jumped down from the roof and landed on all fours, like a cat, before her.

"Stefa?" She questioned, her eyebrow furrowing. "Who are you?"

The boy hardly seemed troubled by her defensive voice. "You don't even remember? Sheesh, that heartless sure did a number on you. Or, shall I say, your 'inner darkness' did a number on you." He mused, not really seeming here or there. "I guess that makes my job easier, anyway." The boy stated, a metallic crimson Keyblade appearing in his hand. It was long-reach and fairly plan with something like small 's's etched all over the body of the Keyblade. **(A/N: I'd describe it in full, but most of us can figure out why the color is crimson red.) **

"Your job, huh?" repeated Keira with amusement in order to hide the fear that was taking hold of her. Never in her life had she encountered a stranger like this and, with the Keyblade and being in another world, she was more frightened than she normally would have been. She called upon Shadow Heart in response to his advances. "And who, may I ask, set you on some job after me?"

"My mistress, of course, Princess." He answered. The boy had equally long bangs that obscured his eyes from view. It was a wonder he could see her at all. Even without the long hair, his face was submerged in the shadows of the night.

"Ah. So you're going to help Maleficent round up princesses, huh? It sounds like you need a life." Keira remarked with a large, but naïve smirk.

"I wouldn't be acting so tough if I were you, Princess. I already know that you're terrified. That's what girls like you _do_. Stop trying to hide it. Like _I_ wouldn't know." The black-haired boy told her as he shook his head. "It's pathetic to see you acting this way."

Keira's eyes narrowed. "So you think you know me, huh?" She growled as her agitation grew. "You know _nothing_ about me." The frustration in Keira's system finally boiled over and she ran at the boy, not caring about who he was and how he thought he knew her. Amusement filled the boy's concealed eyes as he easily blocked the attack and threw the girl off.

"Don't get pissed so easily, it's blinding that wonderful strength of yours." He teased. Keira let out a battle cry that sounded odd to her ears but familiar to her vocal chords as she jumped in the air and swung down on the stranger. The stranger who blocked her blow with one hand and had an easier time throwing her off again. "Maybe you should try defense versus offense because you, well... really suck at it." In a flash, the boy had disappeared and reappeared behind Keira.

He swung the Keyblade at the pressure point on her neck and was surprised when Keira blocked it. "Do I _look_ stupid to you?" She asked, shaking her head and stabbing at the boy's gut. Both were equally surprised when Keira's Keyblade stabbed into his arm. The boy released a low growl as he grabbed her Keyblade and pulled it out of his arm. It made an awful squelching noise.

"I'd watch it if I were you. Maleficent has an extremely strong guy on her side and I'm sure he'd love to have his revenge." The boy muttered as his Keyblade disappeared in a flash. "You really shouldn't lie about people you love, either." At Keira's confusion, the boy's smirk reappeared. Keira would like nothing more than to wipe it off his face. "If you want more answers, take a trip to Traverse Town. Later, Princess." He mock bowed before disappearing into darkness.

Keira slid down against the side of Merlin's house. She hugged her knees to her chest and buried her head in her legs. Her right hand still held the Keyblade as her confusion mixed with fatigue made her drift off to sleep.

**XxxxxX**

"She's not in her room?" Tifa asked the pink healer who shook her head. Aerith had just been to Keira's room to see if she was awake and wanted some breakfast when she opened the door and realized the girl wasn't there. "It's early. Maybe she went out for a walk?" She suggested, and Aerith nodded in agreement. Being the only two awake, they decided not to awake the others until they were sure something was wrong. But with Keira, so much seemed able to go wrong quickly.

The two girls exited the house and found Keira in an instant. Her Keyblade was still out, and she still appeared to be awake. "Phew." Tifa muttered as they hurried to her side. "Keira?" Both girls asked, shaking the teenager gently in an attempt to wake her.

Keira mumbled and groaned but remained unmoving. They shook her a little harder. This time, she began to stir. Her pale eyes opened to the bright sun and Aerith and Tifa hovering above her. "Morning." She mumbled, rubbing the sleep from her eyes as she dropped them back to the ground. The sun was way too bright for her to look up.

"Why are you out here?" asked Aerith in a motherly scolding tone as slowly stood to her full height and extending a hand out to the teenager.

"Mm... fresh air... last night... wanted. Guy came. Confused me. Fought. Left. Fell asleep." She muttered incoherently as she wobbled to her feet. Tifa stared at her.

"Try that again in English?" She suggested, causing small pink patches to burn onto Keira's cheeks. "Over breakfast." Tifa finished with a certain nod. "You should be more awake before saying anything." Neither of the other two argued, for all three of them were famished.

**XxxxxX**

"He told you to go to Traverse Town?" asked Aerith with disbelieving and puzzled forest green eyes. Keira nodded meekly; she'd just finished explaining what had occurred last night.

The martial artist seemed more interested in the linguistics. "Where's Traverse Town?" asked Tifa. Unlike Aerith, she had never been there before.

"A few years ago, Traverse Town was the world that people who had lost their homes to the darkness came to. That is, if they survived the attack and escaped, of course. Granted, no world was safe from heartless back then so only one of the districts was without heartless." Aerith explained. After losing her world to Darkness, she had arrived at Traverse Town. As had Yuffie and Leon, all with the help of Cid. Tifa nodded in understanding as she took a sip of tea. Her facial expression turned sour.

"A-Aerith? I th-think you put in a little too much sugar." **(A/n: Recurring joke from the manga.)** She muttered, downing the tea with her eyes shut. Keira laughed at Aerith's bewildered expression.

"I barely put any in, though," she murmured quietly.

Tifa set her cup on the table. "How much did you put in exactly?" The brunette asked, still wincing from the aftertaste.

"Oh, you know. About six spoonfuls."

"The _big_ spoon, Aerith?" asked Tifa as she finally overcame the taste.

Aerith nodded in reply as if it was a perfectly normal thing to do. "Yes." She answered, causing all three girls to burst out laughing.

"What's goin' on down here?" Cid asked groggily with his strange southern accent. "What's so funny?" All three of them shook their heads.

"Nothing funny here, Cid. Maybe Sora's right about you getting old, you're starting to hear things." Tifa said unblushingly. Aerith hid her giggle behind her hand and Keira stuffed some more pancakes in her mouth. Cid shook his head at the three young women.

"Sure thing." He said before heading to the fridge in the kitchen. Yuffie came downstairs next, catching Cid walking into the kitchen.

"Do you think it's a good idea to let him go in there alone?" asked the great ninja with a large yawn.

Out of the four women, Keira seemed to be the only one who didn't get it. "Why wouldn't it be?" she asked, tilting her head to the side like a confused dog.

"Cid has a thing for using everything in the fridge in one big meal. Kind of like mystery meat surprise." Yuffie stated causing the younger girl to gag. "My thoughts exactly." She sighed as she took a seat at the table and grabbed some food.

"What is it we're talking about down here?" The ninja asked as she looked at the faces around the table.

"Keira met one of Maleficent's Keyblade wielders last night," Tifa replied in a casual tone, as if such things occurred every day. Yuffie's eyes practically flew out of their sockets.

"And he/she was here?!" **(A/n: Gotta be grammatically correct...for once.) **She demanded. The others nodded. "Let's hear the details." Yuffie said in a rather grave tone, like a person waiting to hear the names from an obituary. Just as Keira opened her mouth to respond, several more people came downstairs: Kairi, Riku, Donald, and Cloud.

"Before you say anything, Keira..." Tifa trailed off and looked up at those that had just come joined them. "Wake up everyone else in the house."

"I'll go tear Cid away from his terrifying food-making ways," offered Yuffie as she pushed herself away from the table and walked into the kitchen. "Cid, what are you eating?" Yuffie's voice floated back to the others at the table. "Is that my--? Damn it, Cid!" She cursed. The group downstairs stared at the kitchen in horror as they heard Cid's strangled yell and a thud. **(A/n: Another recurring manga joke: Yuffie, her pie, and Cid eating it constantly.)**

**XxxxxX**

"I'm a little bit in favor of not letting you out of the house anymore." Leon muttered after Keira had retold her story from last night.

"It's not like he beat me or anything." Kera murmured as she struggled to scrape the dried blood off of her Keyblade. Only, of course, that he _had _beat her. Except for the fact he hadn't left any mark on her like the one she'd left on him. Vaguely, she made out Aerith telling her not to scrape blood off of her weapon at the table.

"You technically didn't beat him anyway," Cloud added. "You made him run away."

"Welp, we have to accept the fact that this is gonna happen. After all, Sora, Kairi, and Riku have been through worse." King Mickey reminded the room. "I'm thinkin' we should head on over to Traverse Town."

"All of us? At once?" Tifa asked, raising her eyebrows. "How would we manage that?"

"If only Naminé were real." Kairi mused.

"She did it last time, didn't she? And she wasn't real then." Sora reminded the redhead. Their wording wound up pissing off both Nobodies, causing the two teens to deal with a good amount of yelling and strong headaches.

_**'What do you mean by 'real'?!' **_demanded both Roxas and Naminé. Outside of the house, a figure in a black cloak was watching through the window. **(A/n: I'm looking at you through the glass, wonder how much time has passed...) **The figure seemed to shake his head beneath the hood and approached the door, flinging it open. Everyone became quiet as they looked over at the doorway.

"Nobodies don't enjoy being referred to as 'not real'. Got it memorized?"

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**A/N: I felt the weirdest need to get this chapter up. I don't know why. Anyway, I'm sure most people who play Kingdom Hearts know about Final Fantasy, right? So that means we all know who Marlene and Denzel are? Also, you get two cookies if you can guess who the Keyblade wielder working for Maleficent was referring to when he said '**Maleficent has an extremely strong guy on her side and I'm sure he'd love to have his revenge.'

**See you next chapter!**


	7. The Assassin of the water

**A/N: Oh. Em. Gee. I am so happy. I have two new reviewers and it seems like more people are starting to like my story. This makes me sooo happy considering that I figured no one would like it. xP** **So, now I have a short story. I finally got to watch Advent Children yesterday, and afterwards I was just "so proud" of Cloud, I guess, that I went downstairs and played my KH II. Silly me, I thought I could beat Sephiroth at my low level. xDD** **Now, let's see who our mysterious visitor is.**

**Disclaimer - Don't own Kingdom Hearts.**

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Sora could not believe his eyes and, judging by the wild stares around the room, he guessed the others could not, either. Standing in the doorway was a tall man in an Organization XIII coat with red hair so spiky that it looked lethal to the touch. Unfortunately for the visitor, there were only a handful of people in the room who realized he was not evil: Sora, Donald, Goofy, Kairi, and Riku. The floorboards squeaked as Cloud and Leon both jumped out of their seats, unsheathing their weapons. Axel immediately raised his hands in defense. "Hey, hey, hey! I come in peace."

"Yeah! Axel helped us out before," quacked Donald in an attempt to diffuse the hostility.

"Speaking of which, Axel, how are you _alive_?" demanded Sora, his eyes still staring at the Nobody with disbelief. In the back of his mind, he could hear Roxas cheering with relief.

Axel nodded as he rubbed the back of his head. "That's a good question, and it's not the only weird thing; I feel like I actually have a heart now."

"What?"

Riku began, slowly, "If Axel came back to life because he somehow regained his heart, then what about the rest of the Organization?" An uneasy silence filled the table.

_**'I wish I could say the same...' **_groaned Roxas, though Sora reminded him that he was, at least, reunited with his original body.

Keira, who had been looking from one person to the other since Axel's appearance with a face full of confusion, frowned. "What Organization?" The others glanced at each other, unsure of how to explain to her.

Sora had the perfect idea. "You were part of the Organization after all, Axel. Explain away."

"Then explain about the others," added Riku.

**XxX**

After Axel had finished his explanation about the Organization, Keira held her head. "This is so hard to comprehend," she mumbled, Aerith patting her head when she dropped it to the table.

"My thoughts are that maybe the rest of the Organization members haven't been revived," said Axel, "At least not Vexen, Lexaeus, Zexion, Larxene, and Marluxia. But from what I've heard whispered about Maleficent, it seems pretty likely she'll try to give the others hearts."

"Like Xemnas," chorused Riku and Sora. Axel nodded his agreement.

Goofy was in awe. "Gawrsh, Axel, your heart must have not disappeared for a while."

"But it still doesn't make sense," argued Riku. "He faded away. If his heart was still out there, wouldn't it have come back to him, or something?"

King Mickey sighed. "Welp, seems we don't know as much about hearts and existence as we thought we did, fellas." This particular bit of news was stressful, considering that Maleficent would jump at the opportunity to revive the Organization; not because she particularly needed their help, but because they would serve as an excellent distraction.

"Are you going to help our side, Axel?" asked Kairi in a quiet voice. She was beyond ready to forgive him for what he had done, considering it had all been for the sake of getting his best friend back. Kairi knew she would act irrationally if something happened to Sora or Riku.

"Well," he began with a significant glance at Keira, who still had her head on the table, "What's been going on here lately?"Sora, Leon and the others filled him in on what he needed to know. "A war, huh?" He was much more comfortable, sitting in a chair with his feet propped up on the table. "This just proves that I'm probably right about the others being revived." He glanced back at Keira. "And a princess of both sides to boot; I really did miss out on some good stuff."

"But first things first," Tifa broke in. "We should go to that Traverse Town to see what's going on there."

"Which leads us back to our original problem: we can't all fit in both Gummi ships at once," stated Riku with a shake of his head, and everyone's attention returned to Axel.

Yuffie grinned. "Say, Axel, you can't still use those portals, can you?"

"I guess I probably still can. Ah, so you want me on your side so I can play chauffeur, eh?"

"Not necessarily," Kairi replied, sticking her tongue out, "I'm sure Naminé can still summon a portal..."

Axel smirked. "That's right. Naminé and Roxas coincidentally have Somebodies who are in love with each other." His grin became more pronounced when blushes appeared on Sora and Kairi's cheeks.

_**'I know what he's talking about with you and Kairi, but... What's he hinting at?' **_asked Roxas, sounding completely embarrassed.

Sora rolled his eyes, blushing still, and Riku immediately knew he was speaking with Roxas. _'I wonder.'_

Leon, the undisputed leader of the Radiant Garden, remarked, "How about we make sure that we all _have_ to go, first? After that, we can get ready."

"We all _are _going. Except Merlin; he should watch the kids," replied Kairi with a surprising amount of force.

King Mickey stood from his place at the table. "Let's get done what we have to, fellas, and meet back here in two hours." He paused at the door and added, "And, Princess, go back to your room; you'll find three ladies waiting for you." Keira raised her head at long last, feeling a little nervous about what she was going to find in her room as she dragged her feet up the stairs. Her head was still reeling from the bout of yesterday's news, and the new knowledge did nothing to relieve the pain.

**XxX**

"What do you think we should be expecting at Traverse Town?" asked Cloud as he swung his Buster sword, while Leon parried the blow. The two of them were in the Bailey, getting some extra practice in before leaving since the others were taking care of getting together supplies.

Leon pushed away the other blade. "If I remember the surprises Traverse Town threw at us the first time, I'd have to say anything and everything."

**XxX**

When Keira returned to her room, she found it occupied by three small fairies, which was nothing like what she had expected. "Oh, my, so _this_ is the newly discovered princess!" One of the fairies, dressed in a green gown, remarked with awe. The teenager smiled nervously and did something she never thought she'd do in her entire life: she curtsied.

The women appeared touched by the gesture. "And a respectful dear, too," smiled the fairy in red, Flora. "Now, my dear, the King has told us all about you. He says that you will probably need a new outfit for your journey."

"I'm glad to see that two princesses are going to be fighting against that evil Maleficent." The last fairy in blue, Merryweather, cheered. "It's about time."

"Indeed it is," agreed Flora as she surveyed Keira. "Don't be afraid dear, come closer." She steadily closed the distance between her and the fairies. The women considered the girl before them. "Now then, you'll need dresses, of course, which we've already done and put in your closet." Keira smiled faintly; she'd always wanted to wear a princess dress when she was a little girl, but, what with her fighting, she did not see much of a need. Of course, she did not mention this; she had no problem with wearing the dresses around in her free time. "And now you need a new outfit. Something red will do well." With the flick of Flora's wand, Keira was wearing a long red tube top, red skirt and knee-high red boots. Her arms were covered up to her elbows by white arm warmers with red ribbons. Around her neck was a red bandanna. Keira glanced at herself in the mirror, unable to decide if she looked like she had been covered in blood or red paint.

Fauna smiled delicately. "That outfit is perfect, Flora!" she commented, "But there's just one teensy problem." She flicked her wand next and everything that had been red on Keira was now green. "There, much better!"

"Ah, ah, ah, ladies, we all know that outfit is not fit for a princess." Merryweather shook her head and flicked her wand, turning Keira's clothes blue. "Perfect!"

"Blue? Merryweather are you-?"

"Green is a much better color."

"Keira looks beautiful in blue," insisted Merryweather.

Flora was far from convinced. "No, no. I think red would be better." At once, the fairies were glaring at each other. All three of them held out their wands and flicked them at once, causing Keira's outfit to change dramatically. The bandanna disappeared; her tube top became black with a black and white divided heart on the front and a red rose on the back, the pleated skirt softened to a pure white, and her boots became black leather with a blue shoelace on one and a green one on the other. The ribbons on her gloves turned black and her hair was tied back with a red ribbon.

'_This is what I'm talking about,' _she thought as she admired her reflection with a smile. "I love my outfit; it's beautiful. Thank you so much."

Fauna sighed with longing. "Ah, she's almost as fair as our dear Aurora."

"Now then, dear, you have some preparing to do," reminded Flora. "Go on." The other three joined her in calling, "Goodbye, Princess!" as she left the room.

As Keira returned downstairs, she glanced down at the silver chain clenched in her hand. She had enough of a mind to take it off before the fairies experimented with her outfit, fortunately for her. The light reflected off of the surface of the black mirror-like necklace. "Hello, there." Merlin's voice startled her, and she looked up from her precious memento, the only reminder she had of her home. He was examining, but not quite reading, a book and appeared to be the only one in the house.

"Say, Merlin?"

"Hmm?"

Her cheeks flushed as she mumbled, "How do you use magic?" It was a question that had been eating at her since day one when Aerith healed her. Knowing that Sora, Riku and even Kairi were particularly gifted at magic only made her want to learn even more.

Merlin's book closed with an audible snap as he smiled at her. "Ah, I was wondering when you'd ask," he admitted as he stood and pulled out his wand. "The best way to use magic is to feel the element you're using. Or envisioning something the magic's element is associated with. The more experienced you are with magic, the more you can do with it. Now, let's start with fire." She nodded to show her understanding as she followed him up to the stone isle. With a flick of his wand, one of the plates began to hover in midair. "Close your eyes and think about a fire burning. Feel the fire pulsing and flowing through your veins. Become one with the fire. Now, open your eyes and try to hit this plate by surrounding it with fire."

Her eyes flew open as Shadow Heart flashed into existence. She could feel the fire flowing through her body, and she could picture it pulsing from the tip of her blade. "Fire!" A small flame escaped from the tip of her blade and shattered the plate with ease.

Merlin clapped. "Bravo! I assumed your fire would be in a ring, but it seemed you were able to condense it. Good! Have you worked with magic before?" he added with curiosity.

A sheepish smile appeared on her face. "Back home I liked to use fire, I think."

Merlin chuckled. "Well, that's all I've to teach you for now. For any other element you want to use, just imagine it flowing through you in the same way. Aerith may be able to teach you the cure spell."

"Thanks a lot, Merlin." Keira shouldered Shadow Heart, distantly making out Merlin's voice say, "Anytime, my dear." As she stepped outside, a rush of adrenaline flowed through her. It might have been excitement that she had advanced her skillset further. Either way, she ran with the rush, grabbing a windowsill and hurling herself atop a rooftop. Grinning, she thought of what Cloud would say... But such humorous thoughts were driven from her mind as a white creature appeared before her.

The creature was indescribable, but it somehow looked similar to a human, only in a grotesque way; it looked more like someone's failed attempt at creating a human. The creature took large steps, its body twisting in unusual ways as it walked toward her. She could only stare at it in horror, it was so terrible looking. Several more of the same creatures appeared with the first, and she made to stab at the one nearest her, failing to notice one circling her feet, a big mistake.

Her body filled with white hot pain as the creature around her feet knocked her upwards and repeatedly hit her body. She let out a small cry as her body hit the roof across from the one she'd just been on. When she stood, there were even more of the white things thrusting their way toward her. In front of the creatures, she noticed, was a pair of feet (and tiny head) creeping toward her. "What the hell!" Instead of trying to fight the foreign creatures, she hopped off of the roof, landing on the pavement that led to the Bailey.

Upon noticing Cloud and Leon in the Bailey, she promptly hid herself behind the former. "What's wrong?" Cloud glanced down at her, confused by her antics, noticing her body quivering with fear. Before she had the opportunity to answer, the creatures entered the Bailey.

"Damn Nobodies," cursed Leon as he and Cloud ran forward to take them out. For them, it seemed to be an easy feat, and the creatures were gone in an instant. The Nobodies were, after all, only Dusks and Creepers. Keira ran her index finger along the side of her left arm, smearing blood on it in the process.

Keira hissed in pain before asking, "_Those_ are Nobodies? I thought Axel was a Nobody?"

"He could've done a better job at explaining," mumbled Cloud with unconcealed distaste. "Those were Dusks and Creepers. They're the weakest types of Nobodies. They don't have a human form because their wills weren't very strong when they became Heartless."

Keira scowled, more or less at herself, as she stopped the blood flow with her arm warmer. "They're a lot stronger than Heartless."

Although he should have, most likely, appeared exasperated, Leon looked completely calm. "That's because Nobodies plan before they attack, unlike Heartless, who attack on instinct," he explained. "Axel's assumption must have been right; I'm going to go find the King." With those as his parting words, the Gunblade wielder hopped down onto the lower level and disappeared in the direction of the castle.

Cloud closed the space between himself and Keira. "Stay with me, and we'll go find Aerith." She nodded, silently, and followed him as they moved in the direction opposite of Leon. Not too long after that, they found themselves passing through a crystal fissure and entering the Great Maw. Since it was now summer, the Maw was covered by green grass and many flowers; Cloud wasn't surprised to find Aerith in the center of the large field. "Aerith," She looked up from her spot on the ground, observing the wounded girl, and ran to join them.

Upon reaching Keira, she muttered a few words and the familiar green tendrils embraced the teenager, curing her wound. "That might be a good spell for you to learn. The next time you or someone else is hurt, imagine healing power running through you. Imagine the bright, calming feeling, and you should be able to use cure." Keira nodded her head in thanks.

Aerith drew to her full height, eyes boring into Cloud's. "What do I need to know?" she asked, guessing Keira's wounds had to do with something relevant to current events.

"Maleficent's found a way to gain power over Nobodies; we were just attacked by them," he informed her before turning away. "We should probably head back to the house so we can leave for Traverse Town as soon as possible."

"Right," agreed Aerith before glancing back at Keira, who appeared worried. "We'll be okay, come on."

**XxX**

Two hours later, as promised, everyone reunited at Merlin's house, awaiting their departure. Cid restored Sora's ship with ease, and, as it turned out, Axel could still utilize portals; it might have not been the best thing, but it was fortunate for the group. They would divide themselves between Axel and the two ships. The Nobodies were indeed a problem, but, until they were sure that none of the powerful Organization members had been revived, there was nothing for them to get too excited about.

"I'll take Roxas and Naminé," offered Axel. Presently, the group was trying to figure out who would go where. Keira scratched the back of her head, unsure of what he meant.

Kairi and Sora, however, did. "Hey!"

"I'll go with," decided Riku.

Keira joined them as well. "Me too; I don't like flying that much," she added in response to the strange looks she was receiving. "If my feet are flat on the ground, then I'm happy."

Axel grinned. "That just about does it for me," he said as he looked to the others. Cloud made to join Axel and the others, but Tifa grabbed his arm to stop him.

"Flying's not all that bad. Besides, with Cid being pilot, what could go wrong?"

**XxxxxX**

"What's wrong with you? Can you _not _see those meteors?" exclaimed Yuffie, the most nervous anyone had ever seen her, as she hovered over Cid's shoulder. She, Cloud, and Tifa were in one ship with Cid as pilot while Donald piloted the other ship with Goofy, Mickey, Leon, and Aerith.

Tifa smiled nervously, "I guess Cid isn't that good of a pilot." Her nails sank into the arm of her chair. "It couldn't get any worse, could it?"

Yes, it could. A loud beeping sounded and the ship's light turned red as a computerized voice informed them: "Warning, warning. Total damage has been taken; crashing at nearest world."

Yuffie's nails sank into Cid's arm. "CID!" She was barely fighting the urge to throttle him, what with him being the pilot. Given that the ship no longer needed to be piloted, she was starting to have second thoughts.

"'Least the nearest world's Traverse Town," grinned Cid as Yuffie and Tifa slapped their foreheads.

Cloud was both highly entertained and highly disappointed, though his expression showed neither. "Cid, you realize that we're going to _crash_ in Traverse Town, right?"

Cid's grin slipped off of his face. "Ah, right. Well, hang on tight," he said with the utmost seriousness as Yuffie jumped into Tifa's lap and held her tight.

Tifa scowled. "How can a man who creates strong ships not know how to fly them?"

**XxX**

Leon shook his head as he watched the other ship hurl toward Traverse Town. "There they go."

Donald clicked his tongue with disapproval. "Leon, I thought Cid was a Gummi expert?" he quacked, gently steering _Highwind_ toward Traverse Town as if to prove his superiority over Cid.

"He is an expert," began Aerith, "At building and fixing them," finished Leon with his head in his hand as their ship landed in the first district.

**XxX**

"So, Keyblade Master, where are we?" asked Axel as he gazed around at the area the portal had led them to. They were standing on an isle in the middle of murky water; it looked like they were inside of a particularly large cave as the walls were textured and dark gray. Several stones led away from the isle and towards the only exit.

Sora took in the appearance of the all-too familiar area. "I think we're... Agh," he mumbled, tapping his forehead as his memory failed him. "This is where the Mystical House, Merlin's house, _used_ to be." He glanced around at the fragments of wood and brick littering the ground. "But I guess something happened to it after Merlin left. Anyway, if we use those stones, we'll be in the third district."

Axel eyed the dark water with deep dislike. "There's no catch, right?" Sora nodded. "You better not be lying, got it memorized?" Just as he was about to jump onto the first stone, it moved, and Axel whirled around. "Lying twerp!"

Sora rubbed the back of his head. "Oops, I forgot they moved," stated Sora with a sheepish smile. "It's not that hard, anyway." He was about to jump on the first stone when a loud growl rumbled.

"What was that?" whimpered Kairi, eyes sweeping the area.

Way to Dawn flashed into Riku's hand. "Don't know but something tells me we better get ready to fight." The others followed suit, Sora summoning Oblivion, Kairi summoning Radiant Destiny **(A/N: Her keyblade from KH II)**, Keira summoning Shadow Heart, and Axel summoning his chakrams. The growling sounded again, growing louder and louder.

The water exploded as a gigantic white creature burst from its depths. _**'I know what that is! That's the Twilight Thorn; I suggest you guys be careful.'**_ Roxas spoke so seriously that Sora actually believed him. "Roxas said that this is a Twilight Thorn; I guess he battled it before," he added as he tightened his grip on Oblivion.

Axel nodded gravely. "I remember Saïx talking about that thing like it was his kid, and it _still_ didn't kill Roxas," he added with a satisfactory smile. "But it has been a while, and if it's been living here, then it's probably a lot stronger. Ready?" To show Axel just how ready, Sora charged forward and leapt into the air, swinging Oblivion downward.

Riku watched a hint of amusement. "Sora, you realize that if you miss, you're going to fall into the water, right?" Once Sora struck Twilight Thorn with ease, sticking his tongue out in a very childish fashion at his best friend; Keira was instantly reminded of Nalani.

When Sora's body began to fall, he realized that he had celebrated too soon. "Damn gravity." He plunged about thirty feet below into the water.

"That's gonna hurt," remarked Axel, grinning slyly, as he prepared to attack as well.

Keira felt uncertain. "Axel? Are you sure that you can fight that thing if it's dripping wet?"

He chuckled as he jumped into the air. "_My _fire can go through anything, kid." Fire engulfed the chakrams before he hurled them at the Twilight Thorn.

Riku shot a glance behind him, at Keira and Kairi. "Ready for your first real fight?" he asked them, and it just dawned upon Keira that Kairi had never truly fought before, either. They appeared equally apprehensive but, after sharing a glance, nervous smiles appeared on their faces.

"We can do it," decided Kairi. "Hey, Riku, can you give me a lift?" He grinned at her thinking as she backed up and ran at him. As she approached him, he grabbed her - moving so fast that he was, once again, a blur to Keira - and hurled her into the air.

Riku turned toward her next. "Need a lift?" Her heart was beating so hard against her chest that she thought it might be like the scene out of _Alien_. She attempted to swallow her fear as she nodded. "Here goes nothing." He took her wrists into his hands and, as gently as possible, made her airborne. She slashed at the air a few times to gain altitude but, when it was not enough, she grabbed the only thing she could reach: the Nobody's shoulder.

"Perfect!" From her spot, she was able to hack away at the creature's head with ease. Between all of the hits it was receiving elsewhere and the attack on its head, Twilight Thorn was beginning to get extremely irked. Irked... but not injured. It held out its two hands and shot out tendrils of light and darkness, summoning lesser Nobodies in the process.

"Crap," she heard Axel growl as he was attacked by several airborne Creepers at once and plunged into the water. She took another shot at Twilight Thorn's head, deciding to test out her fire magic. Thanks in large part to the glow of the flame, Keira was finally noticed and sent plunging into the water, feeling quite sure, as she fell, that she had never felt so excited and terrified at the same time.

**XxX**

"Looks like I'll be fixin' 'er up again," sighed Cid as he climbed out of the crashed ship. Cloud climbed out behind him and pulled out the women.

"Where are we?" asked Tifa, gazing up at the buildings and down at her feet; they were standing in a stream of some sort.

Memories briefly overcame Yuffie. "We must be in the alley." In the split second after she spoke, she seemed to have heard something no one else did, for she bolted down the stream, kicking up water as she moved. "Follow me!" The others shrugged at each other before hurrying off after her, only to pause a few feet later where she was kicking at bars. The stream certainly appeared to go further, but the bars hindered them from wherever Yuffie wanted to go. She showed her displeasure by repeatedly kicking the metal.

Understandably concerned, Cloud began to offer his help. "Yuffie, do you want me to-?" He was cut off as she delivered a blow with her shuriken. His eyes widened as she knocked the bars apart, "Never mind."

When the water became so deep that they had to swim, Tifa asked, "Where are we going?" It was dark at first, gradually lightening until Yuffie could recognize the familiar surroundings.

She gasped, "The secret waterway!" A grin adorned her lips as water became shallow once more and they could walk.

"Why'd you bring us-?" Several loud splashes, deep growls, and screams masked the remainder of his sentence. "Holy fuck, what the hell was that?"

Yuffie did not seem to be concerned by the noises or the anxiety of her companions. "Follow me." She charged up a small staircase with a hovering platform.

"Why is it that whenever she says that, we're led to dark places?" murmured Tifa, grudgingly following the others. Yuffie jumped on the platform and signaled for the others to do the same. As soon as Tifa jumped up, the platform lifted and they found themselves standing on an isle with dark surroundings. Tifa sighed, "Always the dark." **(A/n: Just a tidbit of comic relief. :D)**

"What the hell?" exclaimed Yuffie upon noticing the Twilight Thorn and Kairi on the shore, clutching her sides and panting heavily, her eyes screwed up tight.

The group surged forward as one. "Kairi!" they called as they approached her. "Kairi, where are the others?" asked Cloud; the princess pointed to the water and he nodded in understanding.

"They were jumping at that thing in the water...? Is that very... smart?" wondered Tifa.

A smile returned to Yuffie's face. "I don't think that Sora or Axel have enough brains to know what smart is," she replied with a shake of her head as she pulled Kairi away from the water.

"It's not nice to insult people when they're not around." Axel's voice boomed as he and Sora climbed out of the water, both of them sopping wet.

Cloud noticed that the group was missing two people. "Where are Riku and Keira?" he asked as he searched the water for any sight of the two surfacing, but it was much too dark to see.

Sora stepped beside him. "They... didn't come up yet?"

**XxX**

At one point in her life, Keira knew she had enjoyed the water. She was not sure if she loved it as much as she had as a child, but the fact that she felt her lungs were about to explode was starting to make her detest both water and swimming. Even worse than running out of air, she had discovered twisted and grotesque-type Nobodies that were supposed to look like merpeople. **(A/n: I just made these up.)** She also seemed to continuously meet a shark Heartless that liked nothing more than to bite her, hide, return and bite her some more; her arm was covered in cuts and teeth marks. _'Stupid Nobodies, stupid Heartless. I want to go back home where the scariest thing I have to worry about is my final exams.'_

Keira swiped Shadow Heart at the incoming merpeople Nobodies before kicking off the floor of the lake. As her left arm surfaced, a searing pain spread through her leg; she looked down to see a spear sticking in her calf. Fighting the urge to turn around and destroy the Nobody that had stabbed her, she forced her injured leg to wildly kick her to the surface. Coughing and sputtering water, her head bopped above the surface and she inhaled as much air as humanly possible.

The first thing that Keira noticed were the blurs on the island, but the next thing was much more wonderful: her leg stopped hurting. In fact, it felt like she had never been stabbed in the first place. Keira glanced downward to see Riku, who also looked like he needed air, attacking the Nobody that had attacked her; she guessed, as she looked at her completely healed arm, that he had cast a cure spell on her. As his body began to drift downward, she plunged back into the water. Her hand seized his and she pulled tightly until she was able to bring them both above water.

"Geez, you sure weigh a lot, Riku," she said in what would have been a teasing way had she not been panting as she towed Riku behind her. Judging by what her water and dirt-covered eyes could see, they had reinforcements waiting for them. She mustered a smile as someone pulled them back onto the landmass. Rolling onto her back, she coughed out water and gulped air. Before she could see who had helped, Twilight Thorn decided it did not particularly enjoy being ignored and caught everyone's attention by sending another wave of energy at the isle.

_**'Reverse your body in the air!' **_The soft, delicate, and sweet voice of a girl spoke. Though it was not a voice she recognized - none of the girls she knew had such a soft voice - Keira obeyed it and flipped her body in midair. She was relatively surprised to find her body moving against gravity for even a few seconds. _**'Do that every time a beam is sent at you.'**_ The voice told her as she collapsed back onto the island.

_'Who was that?' _wondered Keira, though she did not have much time to dwell. "Look sharp!" Axel's voice cut into her thoughts, and she quickly jumped up in time to dodge another attack from the Nobody.

"Get out of your own world and let's go," ordered Riku, neither harshly nor not kindly either as he pulled her to her feet. "Ready to be thrown again?" His hand had not released hers and, despite herself, she felt a small blush color her cheeks. Even as her thoughts screamed that she did not want to fall back into the water, she nodded and he sent her flying toward Twilight Thorn's head. In the blink of an eye, Kairi was next to her. Without thinking or knowing why she did it, Keira grabbed Kairi's hand though, distantly, she heard the soft voice speaking to her again.

"Ready?"

Kairi inhaled a steadying breath. "One," she counted. "Two... Three!" They exclaimed, putting their keyblades together so that a white light, with black circling it, surrounded them. They held out their keyblades, and the white and black light shot at the Twilight Thorn, causing it to screech and flip backwards. The light intensified for a few seconds and then disappeared completely.

Yuffie smiled from her spot on the island, shuriken in hand. "Nice!"

Sora took a few steps forward. "Riku!" Said boy joined his best friend quickly, knowing all too well by his tone what is was he wanted. The two of them leapt into the air as they began Eternal Session. Together they slashed at the Nobody ferociously for about a minute and then joined back to back.

"Is that all you got?" Riku smirked as they stabbed the Twilight Thorn repeatedly, pulling apart while they did separate combos. Just as quickly as they had broken apart, the two rejoined back to back and began to shoot some type of magic from the tips of their fingers. "I'll take him," Riku arrogantly remarked as Way to Dawn and Oblivion became engulfed in light. Once again, they stabbed at the Nobody until something new happened: magical swords surrounded them and began to attack in sync with their keyblades. Oblivion and Way to Dawn were hurled into the air as Riku cried, "We're not gonna lose at all!" At the same time, Sora cried, "Light!"

Kairi and Keira turned their heads from where they were in mid-fall as Oblivion and Way to Dawn issued a blinding light. They glanced back at each other with grins, and Keira found herself extremely satisfied that she was on Sora and Riku's side as she plunged into the water. "Riku," called Sora.

"Time's up," answered Riku with one of his rare, genuine grins, pounding Sora's fist shortly before they disappeared below the water.

* * *

**A/N: 6.4.09 - This was an annoying chapter to edit. Dx At one point, I called Keira her original name, Kat. Betcha you guys were confused. Sorry. x.x'**

Old stuff - **Why, yes, I did have to add Sora and Riku's limit because it is just so freaking cool. It's my favorite in the whole game. Haha. I felt that we had a need for Axel to be back. And I have some plans for other nobodies, too. Well, only if I come up with a good idea, not 'Roxas, Naminé and Organization Thirteen came back because I said so.' I tried to be as clever as I could with how Axel came back, and I know it's near impossible so don't flame me about that. ** **Oh, yeah. One more thing. I realize that my punctuation sucks. I've always been bad at it. I'm only a freshman, give me a break. Dx I'm working on it, so no comments on that either, please? See you next chapter!**


	8. Return of far away friends and enemies

**A/N: **6.12.11**: I realize that I have mentioned the name of Keira's keyblade multiple times before she actually calls it by name in this chapter. It's just made editing easier for me.**

**6.6.09: Hah, I said **_**a **_**sequel. I think this story has about four. xD I've been considering adding the names of Maleficent's other Keyblade wielders in here, but we'll see.**

Old note**: Before I start the chapter, I want to point out that my story has taken a different turn that I had expected: Axel and the Nobodies shouldn't be back, it was a spur of the moment thing. Like, I was sitting in study hall, bored, so I thought, "Hey! I could add Axel and the Nobodies to the story to spice things up." Yes, I do think about my fanfic 24-7. So, I just wanted to note that. I already have two ideas for the end. No matter which ending is chosen, there will probably be a sequel.** **To the chapter!**

* * *

Using the moving stones to cross the water really was not difficult... for Kairi and Keira. Having used a limit for their first time, they were exhausted and had been, fortunately, dragged to shore by Riku and Sora, whose limit finished off Twilight Thorn. Cloud carried Keira with ease on his back, and, despite Sora's protests, Axel did the same with Kairi. As they exited the cave-like area, they were immediately greeted by the soft light of the third district.

The district was just as beautiful as Sora remembered, with the lights strung from the buildings and the glimmering fountain of the Lady and the Tramp. Once they were in the center of the district, near the fountain, Kairi and Keira were set back on their feet. "Sheesh, I was starting to worry you wouldn't show," confessed a voice from somewhere above them. The black-haired boy from the previous night dropped down from one of the buildings, landing gracefully and harmlessly on the ground.

Cloud unsheathed his sword and swung at the boy, who quickly evaded the attack and summoned Shadows in his place. "Stefa, Stefa, Stefa. You still can't recognize me? That hurts my feelings," he mocked, his eyes on Keira's still-soaked form. "How can you say that you love someone and then not recognize them? Hm?" Shadow Heart flashed into Stefa's hand, and he laughed. "Let's have some fun, then. Do you remember this trick?" His crimson keyblade flashed into his hand and pointed at her chest. She felt as if something were being _pulled _from her chest, and she was amazed at how much it hurt; it had not hurt before, she thought as she fell to her knees in time to see the shadow of herself take form behind her.

Keira recalled feeling two other presences in addition to her shadow's back in the darkness; now she had the identity of one of the unknowns. "Y-you? You were the one?" Her nails sank into her shirt as the knuckles on Shadow Heart turned white.

He smiled, pleased that, for a change, she understood something. "You bet. Because you are who you are, Princess," he taunted, "It's very easy to pull out that dark side of yours. Unlike most people's darkness, yours has the same intelligence as you. Well, scratch that; she's even smarter than you, I'm sure." He smirked as the dark Keira closed in on the original. There was the shuffling of feet as it did so as Riku and Sora moved in to help their new friend. The boy sighed, "This won't do; how are you supposed to learn if people are always protecting you? Stopra." Instantly, everyone (aside from the boy, Keira, and the shadow), was frozen.

"Who are you?" demanded Keira.

"Are you really in the position to be asking questions?" He turned away for a moment, shaking his head and pushing the bangs out of his face. "I'm a familiar face, right?"

The images of a grinning boy with brown hair flashed through her mind, and queasiness began to creep over her. She was both surprised and disappointed when she did not faint from the shock, though she was quite sure that, given enough time, she would be sick. "Quince...? What? _Why_?" The others were nearly as surprised, watching as all of the color drained from her face, that she knew the boy.

He shrugged, as if it did not much matter. "You know I've always wanted power. Always needed to be at the top of my game, right? At least, that's what you and Nalani seemed to think. That's all you need to know, at any rate." If he felt anything at all, his eyes did not betray him; Quince's eyes remained quite distant as Keira twitched at the name of her best friend. She was starting to remember something else; Quince's distasteful words in reference to Nalani brought up a flicker of a memory, but she could not force her mind to recall the entire thing. It had something to do with her sprained ankle, she could recall that much. "Now that you know who I am, will you go to Maleficent for me? Do it for me, Stefa." His voice, which, according to memory, had at one point been handsome, was raspy. From disuse, she had to assume, was the reason it sounded so off. Quince noticed her gaze at his hair, "Haha. My hair changed from brown to black in the darkness. Yours has, too."

Keira was stuck between a rock and a hard place. She wondered why only their hair had changed; it hadn't happened to Riku, right? While biting the inside of her cheek, she considered her situation. If she went to Maleficent, she would be forfeiting her heart. On the other hand, Quince was her best friend, and she could trust him. She knew, hoped, that she could. Uncertainly, Keira started forward, but she quickly stopped.

_**'Don't do it!'**_ The girl's voice from the ruins of the magical house yelled. Like before, Keira did not expect the voice to have a source, so she gasped when standing just a couple of feet away was a fragile-looking blonde girl in a white sun dress.

Keira nearly felt relieved for the distraction, no matter how temporary. "Who are you?"

The blonde did not seem so sure when she responded. _**'I am a witch, I guess. My name is Naminé.'**_ The response only perplexed Keira further.

"But... you're Kairi's nobody!" This whole business with Nobodies was confusing the hell out of her.

Naminé smiled wryly._** 'If you want to get technical, I'm Sora's Nobody.'**_

"How are you here? You should be there." Keira pointed to Kairi's frozen form.

_**'The normal rules of time don't apply to me. I can stop time, too,' **_she added, gesturing to the frozen form of Quince and Keira's shadow. Keira had not even noticed before then, and, now that she had, she felt a huge surge of relief. Despite the little (and good) she had heard about the Nobody, she could not help but feel on edge. As a cold breeze blew through the area, it only ruffled their hair, and did not seem to touch those who were frozen.

Going on what she did know about the Nobody, that she was an ally, Keira decided to look to her for guidance. "Naminé, I don't know what to do."

Naminé smiled without humor. _**'I'm only a Nobody; I'm not real.'**_

"That's not true. You're just as real as me, but you don't have a form," corrected Keira with the slight shake of her head as she screwed her eyes shut wishing, not for the first time, that she was home in her warm bed.

The Nobody's smile became a little more amused. _**'That seems a little ironic,' **_noted Naminé, though her gentle playfulness faded as light began to engulf her body.

At the sound of Naminé's gasp, she reopened her eyes; Naminé was staring at her arms and legs while she twisted and twirled, as if she had never looked at her own body before. Keira realized after a moment or so why the Nobody was acting that way and distantly felt her mouth drop. "You're... solid?"

"This... isn't possible; nobodies don't usually get forms. In the case of Roxas and me... we were only whole by merging with our Somebodies," mumbled Naminé mostly to herself.

Keira turned to stare at Sora's frozen form with Oblivion in hand, prepared to strike something. She closed her eyes tightly again and concentrated the light half of her heart and power into him. The same light that touched Naminé engulfed Sora, and another boy fell away from him. This boy had spiky blonde hair, differentiating them, but their facial expressions were about the same.

Naminé's face was one of awe, though it twisted into a bright smile rather quick."Roxas!" They joined him and, in their distraction, no one noticed Quince's arm move. The dark wielder groaned and raised his keyblade; the shadow was moving again, too.

"Naminé, unfreeze time!" ordered Roxas as he tried to scramble to his feet as quickly as possible, a difficult feat as he had forgotten what it felt like to control a body. Naminé squeezed her eyes shut just as Quince prepared to strike her, and Keira quickly defended with Shadow Heart, the sound of their keyblades clashing echoing in the silence. Everyone who had been in an attacking stance before freezing, like Sora, fell flat on their faces. There were joint cries of confusion as a couple of them called out the Nobodies' names.

"So it's true. They were right about you," muttered Quince, sounding almost disappointed, as he pushed down on her blade. Shadow Keira jammed her own shadowy version of Shadow Heart into Keira's side, knocking her into a wall and preparing to swing at the fallen girl.

Keira thought on her feet. "Fire!" A ring of fire surrounded her shadow, buying her enough time to crawl out of harm's way and get back on her feet. She made a turnabout, dropping Shadow Heart as threw herself against her shadow, half-asking: "L-light?" A bright light engulfed the both of them, forcing the shadow back within Keira.

Sora watched with appreciation for a moment. "Cool." His eyes dropped to his keyblade and, with a jolt, he realized he was wielding Kingdom Key. Quince had begun summoning more and more Heartless, so Roxas destroyed a Large Body on the verge of body slamminghim, Oathkeeper and Oblivion in each of his hands. "You took my keychain?" called Sora, not truly angered, mostly surprised.

Cloud slammed Quince against a wall, and he snapped, summoning more Heartless so that the courtyard was teeming with them. The large wooden doors before Keira flew open and Donald Duck quacked in surprise at the scene before him. "C'mon, Goofy!" He charged in to assist their friends with the Heartless extermination with Leon, Goofy, and Mickey close behind him.

Aerith kneeled before Keira. "Cure," she recited as she helped her stand. "All out of magic, huh? Don't worry, it'll come back." She rushed off to heal Tifa, who had just taken a nasty hit from a Defender.

Naminé and Kairi closed in on Keira as Roxas ran over to aid Sora and Riku in the slaughter of Heartless. Keira stared at her keyblade, which was lying a few feet away. "Shadow Heart," called Keira; it instantly reappeared in her hand.

"So you finally came up with a name?" asked Kairi. "Radiant Destiny," she stated with a smile, referring to her own weapon. The moment did not last long as she and Keira were lifted off their feet as someone grabbed the back of their shirts.

An annoyed, unfamiliar, voice spoke, words directed at Quince. "Can't you manage anything on your own?" Keira glanced down, her heart skipping a beat at the longest sword she had ever seen in her entire life.

* * *

**A/N: 6.6.09: I added the name 'Nalani' into Quince and Stefa/Keira's exchange. It'll mean more in the next story, but I'll be periodically mentioning her.**

Old note**: Ew. Short chapter. I wanted to get this one out on a nice cliffhanger, though I'm sure you can guess who it is. Roxas and Naminé are back, yay! Axel should be very pleased indeed. Anyway, the reasoning for it all will be exclaimed in some time. Until next chapter, see you!**


	9. I thought you said forever

**Chapter Nine:  
**I Thought You Said Forever

**A/N: 6.6.09: Last chapter was so short I decided to do this one, too. I'm adding song lyrics to this chapter because I used the same song's lyrics for the title. Obviously, at the time, I thought it fit. x3**

**Aw. Let me say that I have two favorite reviewers, Megabitch and Fuyu. They inspire me and are probably pretty much the only reason I keep writing this story. :P** **Oh, and for those of you who are interested, go to my profile and at the bottom of the page is the link to a video of the trailer of Kingdom Hearts three (Actually, it was a teaser for Birth by Sleep)!**

**Disclaimer - I don't own Kingdom Hearts.**

_'Who's gonna call on Sunday morning?  
Who's gonna drive you home?  
I just want one more chance  
To put my arms in fragile hands.'  
_**-"Paperthin Hymn" by Anberlin**

* * *

Naminé glanced around, unsure of what to do, settling for calling, "Roxas! Sora" Said persons looked her way, and Sora gasped with horror. Tifa, who had just taken out a Heartless on the verge of attacking the two keyblade wielders, looked past them, and a hateful expression momentarily warped her features. Without another thought, she moved swiftly past them and toward the legendary swordsman.

"Tifa, don't!" warned Sora, though she did not listen to him in the least. Cloud finally looked away to see what the commotion was about; he also realized what was happening and retreated from his assault on Quince to attack his archenemy. Sephiroth scowled, dropping Keira, and swung Masamune at Tifa in order to force her away, which worked, if only for the moment. With Shadow Heart in hand, she ducked under the sword and swung at the arm holding Kairi. Sephiroth glanced down at the annoyance; he swung at her and knocked her away.

If she had thought that the feeling of her lungs nearly bursting open had been the worst, then she had been sadly mistaken. Though Sephiroth clearly did not hit her as hard as he could have, the blade tore through her clothing and into her skin, leading her to realize that, aside from Riku's keyblade, she had never been touched by a blade. She managed to land on her feet and, filled with anger, rushed back at him, but Sephiroth was already gone. Sliding to a stop, Keira searched for any sign of him, but it seemed that the legendary swordsman had disappeared.

Without a warning, she was hurled into the air. Unlike Riku, whoever threw her into the air did so harshly. Sephiroth finally appeared before her in midair and swung Masamune with a true intent to hurt her this time. He continuously appeared, knocking her higher into the air with his sword, until she finally swung Shadow Heart and forced him away. Her body landed before the Lady and the Tramp fountain with a thud, and she quickly tried to force it back up with her forearms, but she could not find the strength to do so. Masamune had done serious damage to her body, though her bloodied lip was all her doing.

Cloud surveyed the situation. Kairi, who had been freed by Keira, was by Sora, Naminé and Roxas. Aerith was healing a long cut that ran the length of Riku's left arm while Leon and Yuffie attempted to deal with Sephiroth. Goofy and Donald were slaying various Heartless and the King had Quince cornered. Tifa... she was running toward the fountain, and Cloud quickly followed her. Keira's arms were slashed, and she was still trying to heave up the upper half of her body. She heaved a sigh before coughing roughly, droplets of blood falling to the ground.

Tifa knelt down beside her. "Stay down, Keira. It's okay," she added when Keira tried to raise Shadow Heart to heal herself. "Aerith, I need your help." Her eyes moved from the healer's to Cloud's, "Get Sephiroth." He was just in time, for Leon and Yuffie had both been knocked back by Sephiroth's blow. Quince disappeared from the King as green and black flames appeared near the door to the Mystical House's ruins.

A woman in a long black cloak appeared from the flames with a scowl on her face."Cease, fools!" She waved around her staff as she looked toward her lieges. "Leave them, we'll find the others first." Though her annoyance was obvious, it was even easier to see that Sephiroth was much more aggravated at her ordering him around.

"Until next time, Cloud," murmured Sephiroth as his wings folded around him and disappeared. The witch exited after him, but Quince reappeared in front of Keira and Tifa, who wasted no time in rising against the wielder. Quince glared at her, an expression that made Keira's queasiness increase, and snapped his fingers, summoning a new wave of Heartless and Nobodies. A Dusk appeared beside Tifa, wrapped around her legs, and knocked her into the air. Quince took this as his cue and knelt down in front of Keira.

"Stefa, why can't you do one simple thing for me?" he whispered as he shook his head. "You just _have_ to fight, don't you? Not that I'm surprised; you're still mostly you, after all. Honestly, though, a princess shouldn't fight; she should give in." Aerith stopped just short of the two of them; she was surrounded by Dusks.

"Hyah!" cried Yuffie as she hurled her over-sized shuriken at the enemies surrounding her friend.

"You... liar." Keira muttered weakly, shaking her head. Once again she pushed herself, and, this time succeeded. She glared at the boy hovering above her as she slowly got to her feet. "You've been pushing away Nalani and me for the past year. For whatever reason, you've hated me, and I've hated you. This... changes nothing, improves nothing. That's the way it should be... right?" Her legs began to give way beneath her. "I hate you," she added, for good measure, as she hit the ground and everything faded away.

Quince smirked, turning at the sound of Riku's footsteps quickly approaching him. "Stupid."

**XxX**

_A little girl with very blond hair climbed a tree while a brown-haired boy admired her from afar. Her hair was in braids and she was sitting in front of a tree by the shore of a lake. The boy was holding wild flowers and yellow dandelions in his hands while practicing some sort of speech. The girl looked back at him and smiled; in response, the boy blushed._

xxx

_The same girl with now darker blond hair ran across a gymnasium. Following hot on her heels was him, Quince. He called out to her, the scowl on her face not going unnoticed by him, and she wiped out on the freshly polished wood floor. The momentum sent her sliding across the floor and into a wall; she swore very loudly, as did another girl, though he, admittedly, tried to ignore the presence of the second girl. Quince quickly ran to her side, as she drew her ankle close to her body, calling, "Stefa?"_

**XxX**

Keira awoke with a start as she tried to gather her bearings. She was definitely lying in an unfamiliar bed in an unfamiliar room, and her body ached something terrible. Propping herself up, she tried to pick out the details of the room, see if she recognized it, but there was not much to see; it was quite bare. "You weren't out for that long," observed Cloud, causing her to jump. The room was _way _too dark if she had not noticed that she wasn't alone. He rose from his seat in a chair across the room and joined her. Not relieved by his presence, she sighed, the hope that she would have some alone time to sort through what had happened extinguished.

Cloud slowly lowered himself onto the edge of the bed. "Would you have gone with him?" He asked, his eyes on the adjacent wall. At her silent confusion, he added, "Naminé told us what happened." She nodded slowly, as if it helped her digest the words better. She did not know why Cloud bothered asking because she knew that he already had an answer.

Her grogginess began to fade as the events returned to her in a flash, hurting her head. "No," she answered quite quickly, her throat throbbing in protest. Now that she had time to think, she wondered why she had considered going with him at all. After all, she knew that it was in Quince's nature to look out for number one. He had been exhibiting that behavior for quite some time, deeply puzzling herself and Nalani. "No." She repeated for the sake of reassuring herself before looking at Cloud. "Where are the others?"

"Aerith, Tifa, Naminé Donald, and Goofy are resting upstairs. Leon and Cid might be up there, too." She wondered exactly how large the house they were staying in was. "Sora, Riku, Donald, Roxas, Kairi, and the King went to the bell tower to seal the keyhole so we can get moving by morning. Axel's wandering around."

"When did they leave?" she asked in a failed attempt to sound casual.

He raised an eyebrow at her, clearly suspicious. "A few minutes ago, why?"

She tried to appear innocent. "They need me in order to seal the keyhole."

"They have four Keyblade wielders - one of whom can wield two."

"Right." She ran her hands through her hair, annoyed to find the simple movement hurt her, though she did not show it. Her head felt like it was close to bursting open. _'I want to go back. I want to go back to how it was...'_ Keira flopped back onto the bed and stared at the ceiling. "So, that guy - Sephiroth, right? - He's obviously someone you guys know from the past."

Cloud snorted quite uncharacteristically. "'Know' isn't the word for it, but, yes, he's a sadistic bastard. Sora, Donald, and Goofy met him in the past few years where Sora has... battled him. Yuffie, Aerith, Cid, Tifa, and I know him because he's from our home world. His attack on you was... worrisome. I assumed he would kill you before you to hit the ground, but I guess he had his orders."

It was her turn to snort as she sat back up. "What, you were _worried_? Aren't you supposed to be frosty and indifferent?"

"Exactly what has everyone been telling you?" asked Cloud, eyebrows raised, though he did not seem angry. Of course, he was never one to show emotion. After a moment of silence, he added, "I was concerned."

"_That's_ why Tifa's so nice to me; it's because she knows you like me like... your little sister or something." Keira stated, nodding, and he did not correct her. "That makes sense."

"No," Cloud shook his head. "Tifa likes you because _she _likes you." He corrected, ruffling her hair a little. His tone became a little more melancholy as he remarked, "You know that kid."

Keira dropped her voice to a mumble, "Yeah. Yeah, I do." She had, conveniently, left Quince out when she explained to everyone about her life and her home. He had not, or so she thought at the time, had anything particularly important to do with her ending up in the Radiant Garden, so she had not mentioned him. "He was my friend when I was young. We didn't exactly see eye to eye when we entered high school, though. Despite the fact we haven't been talking, I liked him... until tonight," she admitted, surprising herself. "It's stupid because he's always looked out for himself and no one else. If he's ever looked out for me or our friend, Nalani, it's been to his benefit."

Cloud stared out the dark window, deep in thought. "You were lying when you said you wouldn't have joined him. It was Naminé who prevented you from going with him." She did not argue or even act ashamed. Silence overtook the room and, eventually, Keira drifted back to sleep, her mind reeling, after which Cloud left to check on Tifa.

It felt like she had only been sleeping for a few minutes when she awoke to the beginnings of sunlight filtering through the window. Neither her throat nor her head felt even a little better as she kicked off her sheets and started out of the room still completely dressed in shoes and all. She found no one outside, so she stepped outside, into the chilly morning air, rubbing the sleep out of her eyes. Yuffie's grinning face greeted her the minute she stepped out of the house. "You're up, great!" Always ready to go, even at sunrise, her hands seized Keira's wrist as she started out of the area. Keira wondered exactly how long Yuffie had been awake as she had the air of someone who had been bored for quite some time.

'_She _is _a ninja. Maybe she's up before the sun rises.' _Her cheeks burned with both embarrassment and guilt at the thought. "Yuffie, where are we going?" she mumbled as they entered the second district. Had she been more awake, Keira would have been excited to see more of Traverse Town. Instead, she was steadily wishing that she was still in bed.

"The secret waterway," answered Yuffie, barely glancing back at the house as they left. "I told Squall that we should have stayed at the hotel instead." Keira did not question her as the path they were on opened up into a more open courtyard.

When they passed a mural of butterflies, Keira froze, gasping in awe at the sight. "You can see the keyhole, right?" Yuffie's shoulders stiffened; it even looked like she paled a bit. Leon looked them over with a scowl. "Yuffie, I thought I told you to stay put?"

Yuffie crossed her arms. "Why do you assume it was my idea?" A look of high amusement - a rare change from his indifferent expression - passed Leon's features.

"For one, you're leading, and, two, Keira's half-asleep." Yuffie pouted. "Where are you two going?"

"The secret waterway," answered Yuffie simply.

Leon's eyebrows furrowed together. "Why?"

"I found another passage in it, and I wanted to explore. But, to be able to see well, I need some light."

Leon sighed, though relatively surprised that Yuffie had found something new for them to look into. "I shouldn't leave you two to go on your own, again," he added as he recalled the events at Hollow Bastion. **(A/n: I'm pretty sure that's what you call the castle alone.)** "Let's go." He entered a set of small wooden doors near the fountain and under the hotel.

"That's Leon for you, always ruining our fun," mumbled Yuffie despite the fact that she was smiling.

Keira grinned, much more awake now, "But you enjoy his company all the same," she pointed out.

Yuffie nodded and replied unblushingly, "You got it!"

**XxX**

Back at the house, Tifa and Cloud were looking around for Keira. "She went off with Yuffie," informed Kairi from her spot on the couch downstairs.

"Where would they have gone?" wondered Tifa.

Kairi shrugged. "I heard her yelling something about another passage in the Secret Waterway earlier."

"We may as well go find them," decided Tifa, "for something to do, if nothing else. Besides, the sooner we get together, the sooner we can leave." Yuffie, Keira, and Leon were the only ones that were missing.

"One problem, Tifa," remarked Cloud.

"What's that?"

"We don't even know where the Secret Waterway is."

Tifa rubbed her temples. "Oh. That's right."

"I do," offered Kairi as Riku joined her. "I think that I can still remember." She glanced back at the drowsy forms of Roxas, Naminé, and Sora. "C'mon, you lazy bums, let's go."

"'kay," mumbled Naminé, pulling Roxas up with her. Once they were standing, she used him as her pillow, and Kairi knew for a fact that her other would be blushing if she were more awake. "Go ahead, Roxas, you lead." Roxas grunted something incoherent as he rubbed his eyes in an attempt to wake himself up.

Kairi sighed at the still-sleeping Sora as she walked across the room and grabbed his arm. Still, he did not awake. "Wake up, lazy bum," she repeated, blushing as she planted a kiss on his cheek. She tried to ignore Riku's chuckle from behind her.

**XxX**

"It's dark," stated Keira unnecessarily as she stared at the passageway with a feeling of anxiety. Somehow, she had never completely overcome her fear of darkness.

"The keyhole's been sealed, so we should be okay," reassured Yuffie, assuming that was what the girl feared. "If not, we do have Squal, not to mention that I'm a pretty able fighter myself." This did not make the keyblade wielder feel particularly good about herself, but she said nothing.

"Yuffie," sighed Leon as he looked back at Keira, pulling a stick out of the water. "Can you use your magic to light this?"

Despite the stick being wet, she still had faith that she could do it. "I should be able to, let's see." It was odd, and somewhat annoying, that she actually had to think about casting a fire spell when she was not in the middle of a battle; she supposed that the adrenaline that flowed through her when her life was in danger probably made using magic much easier. "Fire," she mumbled as a small flame exited Shadow Heart and caught the tip of the stick.

Leon nodded appreciatively, entering the passage first and illuminating their path. Yuffie sent Keira a reassuring look as she followed next and, with reluctance, Keira picked up the rear. The passageway was not all that terrifying, though the deep water forced them to swim. "What could possibly be all the way down here?" murmured Leon more to himself than to anyone else. When Hollow Bastion/Radiant Garden had been overrun and he and the others relocated to Traverse Town, he thought he had explored every bit of the world. This new passageway threw him for a loop. After a long while, Keira was able to wade with the water up to her knees as it slowly shallowed.

At long last, they came to a dead end. "...Really?" whined Yuffie. "That's it?"

Leon shook his head. "Don't get too disappointed; there's something on here," he added with a gesture to the wall. Sure enough, there was a surprisingly artistic mural painted there.

"What are you guys doing down here?" Sora's voice came from behind them and echoed in the passageway. In order to catch up, the group had run from the house to the waterway. The tip of Kingdom Key had a flame hovering above it; he quickly extinguished it when he noticed Leon's torch. Yuffie drew their attention to the mural.

At the left corner was a young, petite, blond haired girl with braids. She was looking at a smiling, brown-haired boy with dandelions in his hands; Keira felt her skip a beat, unable to decide whether or not the picture was a coincidence. She had her own memory of Quince giving her dandelions at the same age as the girl in the picture. In the center of the mural was a girl that resembled Keira as she currently appeared. She was holding Shadow Heart whilst looking away from a boy with black hair who also carried a keyblade, Quince. The seven Princesses of Hearts lined the side of the mural; there was Cinderella, Aurora, Belle, Snow White, Alice, Jasmine, and, of course, Kairi. Sora and Riku were in it as well, as were all of the others. The other side had Maleficent, Sephiroth, Quince, Heartless, and a handful of other Keyblade wielders. One was a boy with messy black hair, a girl with silver hair, a boy with black and red-streaked hair, a girl with a side ponytail, a green-haired boy, and, finally, a redheaded girl with blue streaks. There was also another keyblade wielder, but he was standing away from the others with his body turned away.

The very bottom of the mural caused Keira's blood to freeze in her veins. A girl that was most definitely she was laying on the ground with her two sided heart floating just above her; the boy who was undoubtedly Quince had his keyblade pointed down at her. Keira's legs moved automatically, wishing to put as much distance between herself and the picture as possible, and she bumped into Riku.

**XxX**

_"Will we be friends forever?" asked the blonde of the boy sitting beside her in a tall tree. _

_He stared at her for a minute. "Forever!" He agreed with a grin._

_The younger Keira tilted her head to the side. "And you'll never hurt me, right?"_

_The boy scowled, as if it was not even a possibility. "Never ever," agreed young Quince._

* * *

**A/N: 6.6.09: Wow, this was annoying to edit. So many mistakes... Again, I accidentally called Keira 'Kat'. Dx One of my big edits was the addition and description of the other Keyblade wielders on the mural. :3**

Old note**: This chapter seems short, too. x.x Forgive me, darling readers and reviewers. I'm pretty positive that Snow White was the other Princess of Heart because all of the Disney Princesses were princesses of heart-besides Ariel, at least. **

**If you couldn't tell, the large chunk of italics was a flash back, and the last sentence of the chapter are lyrics from Paperthin Hymn by Anberlin. See you next chapter!**


	10. Maleficent's World

**A/N: 6.6.09: Aurora/Maleficent's world has gotten a name as it's going to be in Birth By Sleep, so I'm going to add the name! :D Please note that, despite the fact this story is finished, I still love getting and replying to reviewsss. ;3**

Old note**: I'm still pleasantly surprised that this story is getting to be rather well liked. At any rate, let's make a disclaimer in this chapter for the sake of wasting space! Axel, take it away.**

**Axel: Everything in this fanfic belongs to Square and Disney. Lollipop only owns Keira, Quince, any of the other characters you don't recognize and the idea of the new type of stupid nobodies in this chapter. Got it memorized?**

* * *

Cid and the King spent two hours after the events in the waterway updating the existing Gummi Ships and creating another. Because Axel and Naminé didn't know the exact area of where they wanted to go, it was decided that portals probably wouldn't be the safest thing to use; aside from that, the exposure to the darkness was rather dangerous. On a medium-sized ship that Cid had built, Aerith, Yuffie, Cid, and Leon returned to the Radiant Garden - just in case anything happened there. Sora, Kairi, Naminé, and Roxas took the _Highwind_. The King, Donald, Goofy, and Riku took the King's ship. Out of the kindness in his heart, Riku elected to go with Mickey so _Highwind_ wouldn't be too crowded, despite the fact that he had actually named _Highwind_. Tifa, Cloud, Keira, and Axel took the final ship.

Although they were taking different ships, they were all going to the same world, mostly because it was both Maleficent and a Princess of Heart's home. "I would be completely surprised if that stupid hag didn't already capture Aurora," remarked Riku over the transmission as he took over artillery for Goofy so that the latter could get some rest.

"I'd laugh," stated Sora and Axel. Sora was piloting _Highwind_ while Roxas took care of the artillery, leaving Naminé and Kairi to sit back and relax. Tifa was also artillery on her ship while Cloud watched the road and Keira slept in the back, having mumbled something about how much she hated flying.

King Mickey was not quite as amused by their conversation. "We've gotta try to be serious, fellas. If anything, this world should be the worst of them all."

Sora hung his head a little, though everyone else in his ship quickly reminded him that he had no time for such guilty gestures as pilot. "Right, sorry, your Majesty."

"Your Majesty," Tifa spoke kindly, "Are you sure it was such a good idea for all of us to be together? After all, none of us know how to fly a Gummi ship."

"What're you saying? I'm piloting the ship, aren't I?" exclaimed Axel angrily. "It's not like we've crashed or anything."

Tifa shook her head, mumbling, "Yet." Evidently, she was no quiet enough, for Axel began a yelling match with her.

Cloud rubbed his temples. "Stop," He spoke sharply, making the two of them quickly shut up. "I'm getting a headache."

"We'd gladly take Axel on our ship." Roxas did not keep the hopefulness out of his voice.

Tifa sighed. "Yes, please, take him!"

"I wonder if I can still control Assassins?" mused Axel. "If only we weren't on a ship."

"You're human," pointed out Cloud, to which Axel had to agree it was probably unlikely.

"Say, Roxas, if Axel came onto the ship, who would you get rid of?" They heard Naminé asked with forced sweetness.

Roxas wasted no time in replying, "Sora, of course."

"What was that?"

"Kairi and Naminé are mellow - and not clumsy." His words set off an argument between himself and the Keyblade Master. All three persons in Axel's ship winced until the transmission was blissfully turned off.

With one hand, Keira held her head while the other rested on the transmission's dial. "And I thought that men always said girls were annoying," she grumbled, sitting between Cloud and Tifa's seats on the floor.

"Well, _they_ are. Got it memorized?"

"Shut _up_, Axel," groaned Keira.

Since the spat with Tifa, Axel seemed to be looking for a fight. "Oh, and I suppose that you're going to make me?"

"I'll shove my keyblade up your... nose and then see how you feel." The hesitance between her words made it quite apparent that nose was not her original choice of words, and Axel decided not to dwell on how she would have done this or how painful it would be. Instead, he focused on steering away from meteors, Heartless ships, and Nobody ships, which everyone was grateful for.

Tifa ruffled Keira's hair, an appreciative smile on her face. "Feeling better?"

Keira shrugged. "Yeah, I s'pose so," she answered although it was hardly the truth. All she could do was think about Quince and the mural, and it was not making her feel any good. "How long until we get to... Wherever we're going?"

"A few minutes," answered Cloud.

"In other words, go put on a seat belt before Axel crashes us into the world," translated Tifa with a grin as said man glared at her.

**XxX**

Sora rubbed his cheek and blushed for what had to be the seventh time in two hours. "Sora, why don't you just ask her to be your girlfriend already?" muttered Roxas, leaning his head toward his other.

"Me? Why don't you try to speed things up with Naminé?" He retaliated, annoyed, causing Roxas' cheeks to turn pink.

He quickly shot back, "Well, at least I don't rub at my cheek every five minutes and then cast a look at Kairi."

"That's not as bad as you looking back at Naminé every five seconds," chirped Sora.

"You're right, it's worse because you're supposed to be piloting this thing!" growled Roxas. Realizing his defeat, Sora fell silent.

"We'll be landing in... the Enchanted Domain in a few minutes, guys," announced Sora to the others. **(A/n: That name is the official name.)**

**XxX**

"Axel, you land first." King Mickey spoke over the transmission, which had been turned back on.

Keira groaned. "Must we die already?"

Axel sent a quick glare at her. "Shut your trap," he replied, playing with a few levers and slowly steering the ship downward. To the surprise of everyone, he successfully landed the ship.

"We'll go next, Your Majesty," offered Sora as _Highwind_ landed next, followed by Mickey. The world that they had landed in was... uncheerful, to put it bluntly. Hordes of Heartless were running around, with a Dusk here and there, and many nearby buildings were in ruins.

Keira slashed at a Shadow. "...Oh, geez."

"Gawrsh, Your Majesty, how're we supposed to find the Princess?" asked Goofy with a nervous glance at their surroundings.

"Hello?" The lush voice of a young woman called from the forest to their right. There was the sound of branches knocking into one another as a young woman entered the area, pulling her golden hair free of vegetation. She dusted off her blue dress and righted the circlet atop her head. **(A/n: I hate Aurora's pink dress. D:)**

Donald's response was much too loud. "Wak! Aurora!" The Heartless and Nobodies in the area froze as if they understood the name and quickly looked to the beautiful princess.

"Oh, no," mumbled Aurora as she slowly began to back away.

"Don't worry, we'll help you!" reassured Sora as he and the other wielders rushed forward to take out the Heartless and Nobodies. He guarded against a Neoshadow's angry claws before knocking it into a group of Shadows while, beside him, Kairi casted a fira spell on a group of Shadows that were much too close to Aurora.

Several assassins surrounded Axel, resulting in his robust laughter. "Hey, there, buddies. Remember me?" With his chakrams in hand, he also joined in the enjoyment of destroying the enemy as well as getting sweet revenge. Before Aurora totally comprehended her surroundings, the entire group had begun to fight the enemy. She felt a rush of relief at this until a soldier stopped before her, and she screamed, though it was cut short as a sword destroyed it. She slowly gazed up at her savior, finding a blond man standing above her.

A smile touched Aurora's features at his appearance. "Philip!" She cried, throwing her arms around her husband. "I was afraid that the Heartless got you."

Philip wrapped his arms around her, reassuring her under his breath. "It's alright." Philip could sense the presence of something behind him, knew he could not move fast enough to defend himself, and settled for acting as Aurora's human shield. The sound of metal singing instead of his heart being ripped from his chest forced him to release his wife and check out what had happened.

Keira was swinging Shadow Heart at the Large Body's chest though, instead of weakening it, she was only pissing it off. "Why won't you die? Stupid Heartless," she huffed, swinging at its chest again and being knocked backwards from the recoil. Realization dawned upon her as she rolled behind the Heartless and shoved Shadow Heart into its back. A pink heart hovered into the sky, the only reminder that she had fought anything at all. "Ha! That wasn't so bad."

"You saved us," said Aurora in a breathless voice as Keira turned toward them. "Thank you."

Keira forced her body into a nervous bow, "Sure, anytime."

Once the area was cleared of the enemy, Sora joined them. "Princess Aurora, how have you escaped the Nobodies, Heartless, and Maleficent...?"

"Luck, I suppose. I must be very lucky since I keep getting into sticky situations and walking away unscathed," she added in a thoughtful manner. "It's very nice to see you again, Sora, Donald, Goofy, Your Majesty." Aurora smiled as Kairi shyly stopped beside Sora. "And you're the other princess, Kairi, I remember you. It's very nice to see you again." Kairi curtsied to her fellow princess.

"Then that just leaves us," Axel said as he, Riku, Cloud, Tifa, Naminé, and Roxas joined the group. "The name's Axel, got it memorized?"

Tifa rolled her eyes. "He can't even show respect to royalty. Then again, he didn't do much for Kairi and Keira, anyway," she sighed before adding, a kinder voice, Tifa." The others all introduced themselves with bows.

When Keira introduced herself by name only, the King chuckled. "That is _Princess_ Keira, at least." She frowned, her cheeks tingeing with pink.

Aurora looked around with a bewildered expression, "Another princess? I thought something might be going on. Please, explain." It did not take very long for the King to explain their current situation and what he knew about Keira being a princess.

"That's why those things, the Heartless, are running amok; they're after my Aurora again," realized Prince Philip.

King Mickey nodded. "I'm afraid so. We've gotta find the keyhole of this world and seal it. Though, I'm not sure that it'll keep Maleficent at bay." The Prince could hear the things that Mickey wasn't saying: _'We can't stop her from kidnapping Aurora again.'_

Philip's hand rested on the hilt of his sword. "I won't have it. That evil witch won't be taking my wife away from me again."

"Don't get us wrong, we'll do all that we can," Tifa attempted to reassure him. "But we've been having enough trouble keeping our own princesses safe."

"Maleficent has an unlimited amount of Heartless and Nobodies at her disposal, so it's going to be tough to stop her from achieving her goals," added Riku honestly, as always; out of the corner of his eye, he noticed Keira rolling her eyes.

Sora groaned as his thoughts drifted to Hook, Oogie Boogie, Jafar, Ursula, Hades and Pete. "I just hope that she hasn't enlisted help again."

"She's already enlisted Sephiroth; you can't get much worse than that," pointed out Tifa.

Goofy became panicked by the thought of Sephiroth plus Maleficent's past allies all working together with the evil witch. "Gawrsh, if she does have all of them together then we're in big trouble."

Sora waved it off. "We've dealt with them tons of times, so I'm hardly worried, even if it does make things a little harder. It would be pretty annoying, though."

"Not to mention she'd get the princesses faster," added Roxas.

"Welp, let's start with this world, fellas," declared the King. Everyone was silent as they thought about the Enchanted Kingdom which, judging by the looks of it, was little more than miles and miles of forest.

Axel voiced the same thought. "We don't even know where we should begin to look."

"It could be in the castle," mumbled Aurora to herself before repeating, louder, "It may be in my father's castle somewhere."

Sora thought it was as good a place as any. "The keyholes of worlds are usually in important places."

"As long as we have an idea, let's run with it," agreed Riku. "Where is the castle?"

"Continue through this area and then through the forest. It's very large; you might even be able to see it if you were to climb the tallest tree in the forest."

Mickey nodded. "We'll check it out; make sure to hide yourselves well."

The two royalties nodded. "Don't worry about us," responded the prince.

"Oh, but before you go," Aurora broke in. "Your Majesty, have you seen Flora, Fauna, and Merryweather?"

"Welp, as a matter of fact, I have! They're safe, in another world. Don't worry."

"We'll see if we can't send you over to them when we're done here," offered Naminé kindly.

Aurora smiled. "Thank you very much. Oh, be careful!"

**XxX**

"This forest is getting on my nerves." Keira grumbled as she attempted to pull one of the many twigs out of her hair. Admittedly, she had never been the biggest fan of hiking, and all of the tripping over roots and scratches from branches was not making her like it any better.

Naminé heaved a sigh as her dress got caught by a branch, not for the first time. "Mine, too." Roxas slashed the branch, freeing her, and she pulled what was left over out of her dress.

"If I were to burn it down, things would be a lot easier..." Axel began as he summoned his Chakrams.

Several of the others immediately yelled at him. "Axel!"

"I was just making a suggestion," he mumbled with mock-hurt.

Keira paused, finally having enough of their hike. "I think we should take a break. One, so we can rest. And two, so we can make sure we're going the right way." The group exchanged glances, and no one was eager to disagree, all ready to take a rest.

"Phew," breathed Kairi, sliding against a tree and sitting on the forest floor.

Sora pounded his chest. "I'll check for the castle." He jumped on the trunk of the tree Kairi was sitting against, hugging it to the best of his ability and slowly, but surely, and began to climb; Donald and Goofy recalled him doing about the same back in Mulan's world during their previous adventure, so he was pretty good. The tree's height gave him hope that he would find the castle with ease.

When he reached the top, he climbed onto the topmost, and most unstable, branch. He focused his eyes straight ahead, relieved to see they were nearly to the castle. "Good thing." He made to start his descent but froze when he heard a crack. "...Crap." The branch beneath him finally gave way and, yelling, he hurled downward until he hit a steadier branch a few feet above the ground.

Kairi winced as her Sora's body made an audible thud on the very sturdy branch. "How far is it, Sora?" asked Riku with a light snicker.

"Just ahead," groaned Sora as he pushed himself upright and landed on the forest floor.

Riku stood. "Let's get going," he suggested and, with sighs, everyone rose and continued to walk.

Kairi giggled as she held out her hand. "You okay?"

"Yeah," answered Sora as he took her hand into his own and stood. It took much willpower on his part not to add _'now I am'_ after she smiled. As they set off after the others, neither noticed that they were being closely stalked by a raven.

**XxX**

"Ah, I see," murmured Maleficent, standing in a darker part of the forest with Diablo resting on her arm, "So the fools are heading toward the keyhole, hm? And they were with Aurora before that, were they?" Diablo cawed, fluffing up a bit, with pride that he had brought back helpful information. She sighed, hand idly stroking the raven's glossy black feathers, as she considered how to properly execute her plan.

"The other two do not matter to me at the moment. Those fools **(A/N: Meaning her goons that were in Sleeping Beauty) **have already been sent with Heartless to stop Sora and his friends for a time. After all, capturing Aurora has never been a tough job in the past," she added with a light cackle. "Lead the way, my pet."

With a croak, Diablo departed from his mistress and flew through the forest.

**XxX**

"How far away is 'just ahead', Sora?" Kairi finally asked following another ten minutes of walking.

Sora scratched the back of his head. "The castle didn't _look_ that far," he mumbled. "We should be there soon."

Keira groaned, "We're going to be here a while," she complained before stopping in her tracks and looking around. "Did anyone else hear that?"

"The stamp of feet? Yeah, I heard it," replied Roxas as everyone else stopped. "I thought it was just us, though."

"I think someone - no, some people are being sent to stop us." King Mickey squinted his beady black eyes at the trees before them. The marching was getting steadily closer; they would be meeting the other group at any moment.

"Bring 'em on!" quacked Donald, staff held at the ready as the shadows of the strangers fell before them. Before they even met their opposition, however, it was obvious that there was little to worry about. The group of strangers emerged from the bushes, yelling at each other and giggling, and they truly did not look like much. They were all very short, drunk-looking pigs dressed in peasant clothes, and, though they were armed with swords, bows and other sharp objects, they did not look intelligent enough to use them.

"_This_ is what she sends to attack us?" asked Axel, close to tears as he laughed. "The shadows even look stronger than these idiots!"

"Hey! Don't doubt us!" One of the goons, who was short with a large nose, piped up.

Encouraged by his friend, another shouted, "Yeah! We've got back up!"

Axel was still grinning. "Oh, I'm shaking in my cloak."

"You should be!" The first goon squealed as a stampede of hooves sounded behind him.

"More of you on... horses?" Roxas laughed, "That sounds like a suicide if I've ever heard one." As the black horses came into view, it became quite evident that they would have a run for their money. Instead of more stupid-looking pigs, the figures riding the horses were grotesque-looking 'soldiers' with the Nobody symbol etched on their chests. In addition to these, there were Heartless Knights on black Heartless horses as well as Assault Riders.

The sound of metal on metal could barely be heard over the hooves ad Cloud unsheathed his sword. "The Heartless and Nobody types continue to increase."

One of the goons cackled, drawing strength from the fact that Sora and the others were, at the very least, a little nervous. "Yeah, you better be scared! Maleficent is letting us control Heartless and Nobodies now, too!"

"Why any Nobody would ever listen to one of these idiots, I will never know," murmured Axel as his chakrams appeared in a flash of fire. "But you chumps are no match against us. Got it?"

"Attack!" ordered the goons in perfect unison as they launched themselves forward. At the same time, the Nobodies and Heartless surged forward. Before they knew it, a huge wave of enemies was heading towards them.

**XxX**

Philip and Aurora had decided to move away from where they had been earlier and toward the cottage where Aurora grew up as Briar Rose. A blue bird perched itself on her finger and many other animals had gathered around the two of them. Aurora was singing beautifully, her lush voice leading all of the animals straight to her as always. Despite her quiet voice, all the animals of the forest seemed able to hear her as if she were singing at the top of her lungs.

Philip smiled at his beautiful wife as she stroked the bird's glossy blue feathers. Beside him stood his trusty steed, Samson, who, like himself, had decided to wind down a bit. The three of them felt very confident in Sora and his friends and had no fear about Maleficent. For the time being, at least, though this was a mistake in itself. Diablo landed swiftly in the tree above Philip. Apart from Aurora's singing, there was an eerie silence in the forest.

A few moments after Diable landed, green flames appeared near Aurora, making all of the animals flee quite quickly. "You simpletons thought that you could escape me? Fools!" cackled Maleficent, pointing her staff at the two. The forest, which had been quiet just a moment ago, now filled with the sound of laughter and a terrified neigh as a bright light flooded the area.

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**A/N: I keep realizing that I forget to add Axel, and when I remember it's usually too late. Luckily that isn't the case this time! Anyway, I simply had to bring us to the world of Sleeping Beauty. Mind you, my second favorite Disney princess was always Aurora.**

**Roxas: I actually kind of like Ariel...**

**Naminé: That doesn't have anything to do with what she's wearing, does it, Roxas?**

**Roxas: -swallows hard- Of course not, Naminé!**

**Axel: These two will be the first to fall in the battle.**

**See you next chapter, and if you review then you can own Axel.**

**Axel: ...What?**


	11. Loss to darkness

**A/N: 6.12.11: I will probably come back and add more to this chapter due to how pitifully short it is. I'd also like to that with a few chapters back... But not now. For now, I just added a little more.  
**

Old note: **Hello, guys! Updates are going to probably take a little bit longer because I am sick and my teachers keep throwing stupid stuff at me. Oh, right, and then there's the fact that I have some stuff going on in my personal life, but I'll try my hardest to get chapters up!** **Fuyu now owns Axel. He doesn't like it and you might not like it, but she does. Anyway, I'm glad to see my fanfic is getting more popular even though I only have two reviewers. :P I'm also glad to hear that my grammar mistakes aren't **_**that**_** bad. My stupid teachers from other years told me a comma goes wherever you need a breath, so now I'm screwed up. xD** **On to the chapter!**

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"This is repetitive," noted Roxas as he slashed down at what seemed like the hundredth Heartless. Naminé, without a means of defending herself, was hiding behind a tree and wishing more than anything that she could wield some sort of weapon, too. She watched the others fighting, and nearly everyone seemed to be doing well... aside from Keira, who was staring up at a tree and swearing. Riku was quite nearby, keeping the Heartless away from the distracted girl.

In her excitement from the battle, she had thrown Shadow Heart upward and gotten it lodged in a tree. "Oh, that's just great." Once she reached the tree, she began to climb, but Cloud stopped her.

He looked at her like she was crazy. "What are you doing?"

"Keyblade. Up there." She pointed to the middle of the tree.

"Keira, you can call it back." He remembered her calling Shadow Heart back numerous times and fixed an expectant stare at her as red crept into her cheeks.

"Oh! I knew that." She released the tree's trunk, held her hand out before her, and Shadow Heart reappeared. "Thanks, Cloud." The red was still very visible in her cheeks as she ran off to fight. Cloud shook his head, smiling very faintly as he took down yet another Nobody.

Riku smirked at her. "So, they give keyblades to just about anyone these days, huh?" Still embarrassed, she simply elected to ignore him as she blocked an Assault Rider's pole. It dawned upon her, as the Heartless attempted to run her through with its weapon again, that she probably should have been fighting one of the new Nobodies or Soldier Heartless. The Assault Rider spun its pole as it dashed at her, knocking her clear off of her feet and into Riku, who easily caught her with his free hand. He set her on the ground before rushing at the Heartless with that amazing speed of his, ducking the pole as it was stabbed downward, and slashing his keyblade into it. It only took him a few strikes to destroy the Heartless, and Keira found herself watching the entire thing with her mouth hanging open. _'Will I ever be that good?' _

Sora's eyes scanned the area and fell upon Kairi, who was kneeling on the ground and panting. He quickly fled to her side and knelt down, mumbling, Curaga." Green tendrils wrapped around Kairi's wounds and healed them instantly.

"Thanks, Sora." She kissed his cheek as he nodded, both of them wearing light blushes as he helped her stand. They stood, surrounded by Heartless and Nobodies, back to back and tried to lessen the amount of enemies.

"These guys are stupid," Riku informed Mickey as he joined him, "But I think that their hearts have been taken over by the darkness." They had beaten up the goons (quite easily, too) and were now in the process of deciding what to do with them.

The King shook his head. "These fellas are aiding Maleficent anyway; we've gotta get rid of 'em."

This did not seem to bother Riku in the least. "Yeah, I got it." He slashed Way to Dawn at the group until they disappeared into a cloud of darkness.

"Big mouths, small brains, classic," remarked Tifa as she approached Riku and Mickey from behind.

Mickey looked around, astonished at the sight of numerous Heartless and Nobodies still dancing around the area. "The Heartless and Nobodies still aren't goin' away?"

Tifa shook her head. "Nope. Then again, the Heartless and Nobodies may have never been listening to those guys in the first place; Maleficent probably told them to come with them."

"Welp, at least they can't get any more numerous for the time being," mumbled Mickey as he rubbed the back of his head. "Let's get rid of the rest of 'em."

Axel gazed at the area around him after finishing off a few Nobodies. No new ones were approaching him, which seemed quite strange. It did not take him long to notice, out of the corner of his eye, that Naminé was being closely followed by several Nobodies. "Shit!" He cursed, willing his body to move fast as he lunged at the creatures and destroyed them. Naminé whirled around, terribly surprised.

"T-thank you, Axel." She breathed, her hand clutching her chest.

Axel ruffled her hair, surprising her more than the creeping Nobodies had. "No problem, anything for my old friend, and best friend's girlfriend." He grinned as Naminé blushed and Roxas threw him a look from across the field. The other 'Nobody' joined them.

"You okay?" He asked, though she wondered how much he meant physically versus mentally.

"I'm fine," replied Naminé, blush still on her cheeks.

Roxas smiled. "Good."

"That's all of them, fellas." King Mickey announced from the center of the clearing. Sure enough, they had finally managed to clear the area.

"Aw, but that was too easy," complained Keira.

"If you're not throwing your Keyblades into trees, you mean?" snorted Riku, causing Keira to blush for a second time.

"It was an accident!" She insisted, following Riku.

He waved his hand, "Sure, sure."

**XxX**

Not too long after the fact, the group had made it out of the forest and to the castle's gates. Unsurprisingly, the gates had been broken down and it looked like there had been a fight in the courtyard - with many casualties. Keira looked skyward, trying to keep her gaze away from the ground and, at the same time, avoid stepping on the dead. All of her embarrassment faded, her face feeling the polar opposite from when Riku had been teasing her. _'You can't ever forget that war means death.'_ She reminded herself as they quickly moved out of the area.

There appeared to be even more bodies inside of the castle. All of the fallen were bloodied but _most_ of them had blood on their chest, yet the bodies were still very much there which must have meant that the Heartless somehow fought the urge to steal their hearts... though that did not make much sense. Keira dared herself to look down for just a moment when she felt pressure on her arm. Tifa was hauling her by one arm while Cloud was pulling her by the other. Her heart fluttered a little, and she managed a small, relieved smile as her gaze returned to the tall, ornate ceiling.

Near the front of the group, Roxas had his arm around Naminé's waist, towing her so that she did not have to steer herself, while Sora had his arm around Kairi's shoulders. "How do we know where to look, your Majesty?" quacked Donald when they reached a landing where many sets of stairs branched off.

"Hmm. Good question, Donald." He agreed, turning to the keyblade wielders. "Welp? Do you fellas sense anything at all?" Kairi, Keira, Riku Sora, and Roxas nodded.

"There." They pointed to an old door at the end of the hallway on the second level. The King nodded and headed toward it without questioning their judgement. Behind the door was a tall spiral staircase.

"Watch me fall," sighed Keira.

Tifa laughed. "Why do you think we're holding you by the arms?" She asked with a playful smile.

The staircase was much longer than it appeared, and it took nearly twenty minutes to reach the top, which led to another door, an empty bedroom. In the center of the room was a very welcoming canopy bed with an adjacent fireplace. There was only one window inside, but it made up for this by being quite large in size. "Yes!" The girls did not spare any second thoughts to what danger could be lurking or whose bed they were getting into as they launched themselves into the room first and flopped onto the bed.

As soon as they touched the scarlet comforter, Kairi and Keira were yanked back into standing positions by the force of their keyblades. They turned in the direction of the glossy oak headboard, glowing with the shape of a keyhole. Naminé, the only one on the bed, turned toward it as she also noticed the keyhole.

"Naminé, move over." Roxas gently pulled her from the very comfortable bed and to his side as Riku and Sora joined the girls, holding out their keyblades. Four beams of light shot out from each keyblade and into the keyhole, but, even then, they could feel that they were...

"Too late," Maleficent's voice came from behind them. She looked awfully proud of herself, standing by the fireplace, with her staff in one hand and an unconscious woman slumped in the other. Diablo sat on her shoulder, cawing gleefully. The figure draped over Maleficent's arm was none other than the princess of the Enchanted Dominion, Aurora.

"Maleficent!" yelled Sora, turning from the bed and running at the witch as fast as his legs would carry. He jumped and swung down, but his keyblade only hit the floor, Maleficent already gone.

So she had only appeared to show off her prize. "Just remember what you are risking by allowing Kairi and Keira to travel alongside you," her disembodied voice echoed through the room. It was not an unusual or unconsidered thought, but it was one that the group had tried not to think about. Philip's weak form crawled into the room, momentarily putting of their discussion.

"She's taken... Aurora." He muttered angrily, though he knew he did not need to, as he used the doorway to stand. He looked around at the group, sighing at the knowledge that he could not be angry with them. If it was anyone's fault, it was his own. "Please. _Please_. Rescue Aurora before that evil witch gets the chance to do anything to her."

* * *

**A/N: Short chappie. Next time we're heading to either Atlantica or somewhere else that I totally forgot. I finished this place up pretty soon only because I wasn't too sure of what to do in the first place. They were gonna fight Maleficent at first, but it was just more convenient this way.**

**One thing, the reason Kairi kisses Sora doesn't have to be romantic. It might just be friendly. So, I'm clearing that up, just in case. Of course might is the key word here. See you next time!**


	12. Mermaids, Melody, and Morgana

Sora was not well adjusted to not steering a Gummi ship, though, he had to admit, it was nice to take a look at the view. He watched as they passed by bright stars (which were really distant worlds) and purple and green meteorites of all different sizes. Even though he finally had to opportunity to admire space, he was not taking advantage of it. All he could think about was Aurora, Philip's crestfallen face, and the fact that they had failed. Donald's quack finally drew him out of his thoughts. "It looks like we're landing somewhere different." Sora looked over to the duck, who was holding up his staff and steering at the same time. _'And they're afraid when _I _pilot,' _he thought as Donald continued, "I'll use my magic so we fit in."

"Where are we landing anyway?" asked Sora.

Goofy seemed giddy, "Prince Eric's castle, hyuck, I think he and Ariel got married!"

As the ship began to land, Sora asked, "When you used your magic, do you think it worked for the others, too?"

"I hope so, Sora." The response did not ease anyone's mind.

**XxX**

Refreshingly cold, salty waves of water were rushing over Keira's head. She was distantly reminded of how she had felt when she awoke in the Radiant Garden's fountain, for, once again, she had no idea where she was, nor did she care. The water felt good on her body, but it also felt somewhat strange, as if she were wearing very little clothing. She forced her eyes opened and noticed that she was laying on a large rock in the ocean; at least, she assumed it was the ocean judging by the fact that it was salty.

It was difficult, though, to see how far the water stretched as it was night and the sky was dark, blotting out the horizon. Her only source of light was the full moon hanging above her and, admittedly, she felt nervous when she did not hear any of the other's voices. She made to turn around, but realized that her feet no longer felt like feet. Flipping herself over, she gasped when she noticed that she was wearing a red shell bra (that certainly explained the cold) and her feet had turned into a mermaid tail that matched the bra.

"Oh my God," she breathed, unsure of whether she should be excited or extremely worried. "I'm a mermaid, a real freaking mermaid!" She did not allow any more thoughts to worry her fun or excitement as she dove off the rock and attempted to get used to swimming.

**XxX**

Sora, Donald, and Goofy had indeed appeared in a different area, one that did not suit their current forms. The Keyblade Master found himself floating in a very small amount of water, a tall, thick wall like that of a fortress keeping them either in or out of some place. He guessed that they were on the right side of the wall as the shadow of a large castle was looming over them. "Sebastian!" called Sora, his eyes settling on the crab, who was seated on a nearby rock on the shore. Goofy was also on the sand as a beached turtle, and Donald was in a tide pool as an octopus.

The crab, sitting on a rock, nearly had a heart attack at the sudden intrusion. "Sora, Donald, Goofy?" He scuttled over them, shock still on his face. "You still look da same as last time!"

"Gawrsh, Sebastian, it's only been a little while since we've been here," replied Goofy in a voice that suggested he feared for the red crustacean's sanity.

Sebastian shook his head. "Dat's not possible, little Melody's already a teenager!"

"Melody?" They chimed together.

"Ariel's daughter," answered Sebastian, if not a little impatiently. He began to chuckle when Sora, Donald, and Goofy's eyes looked like they were about to bulge out of their heads. Ariel was not only married but also had a _daughter_? A _teenage _daughter, at that! "But dat's not da point. You guys shouldn't be looking like dat! If Melody sees you, she'll know her mother's been lying."

Donald brandished his staff. "Got it." A light engulfed them, reverting them back to their normal forms.

As Sora and Donald got out of the water, Sebastian asked, "What are you three doin' back here?" Sighing, Sora delivered the bad news about Maleficent. "That means da heartless are back!" Sebastian squeaked.

"We're going to try to find the keyhole again, and seal it." Donald reassured the crab. "I don't think anything can get through with this wall, though." He stated, knocking on the large wall with his staff.

"Yeah, what's with this wall, anyway? Aren't old friends allowed to visit?" asked Sora with mock-hurt.

Goofy searched their surroundings for any of the others, but they appeared to be alone. "Have you seen anybody that looks like us, a mouse and a few humans?"

Sebastian's expression became troubled once more. "Ariel can answer you that, but right now might not be a good time."

Sora's eyebrows knitted together. "Huh?" A wail from somewhere above answered the question for him.

"What do you know about the ocean? You've never even been in it!" cried the voice of a young girl.

Ariel's familiar voice came next. "Melody, wait!"

Sora looked back toward Sebastian. "That doesn't sound too good. Can we go in?"

"Ariel might be relieved to see you guys."

**XxX**

Keira stared at the shore as she drew nearer to it, unsure of whether or not she should continue to approach. Sitting at the edge of the water was a girl, whose face was obscured by long black hair, with her knees pulled to her chest. Her body shook with loud sobs. Curiosity more than anything else forced her to approach the girl, "Uh, excuse me?" She still could not get quite too close to the beach because of her tail.

The girl slowly lifted her head and looked to her with eyes red from crying. "Who are you?" She was understandably on guard. It was not exactly normal to see someone swimming in the ocean late at night.

"Uh, I'm Keira. And you?"

"Melody," sniffed the girl.

Keira still did not see anyone else, so she decided to stick around for a while. "What's wrong, Melody?" she asked, pushing wet strands of hair out of her face.

"My mom's so mean. She won't let me go into the ocean. She doesn't even like it, so what would she know?"

Keira frowned, her thoughts drifting, briefly, to her own mother. "That's stupid. I would've hated it if I wasn't allowed to swim," she mused and then, without thinking much, added, "Then again, look at me, I'm a mermaid."

This seemed to perk Melody up right away, "A mermaid?" Her sad face lit up with excitement.

Encouraged by the girl's excitement, she raised her ruby red tail. "Look."

"Oh, wow, a real mermaid! I wish I was a mermaid," mumbled Melody dreamily.

"Morgana can help you with that," said a voice from behind Keira, startling both girls as a small shark came into view.

"Who's Morgana?"

The shark smirked. "She has great powers. She can definitely turn you into a mermaid. The name's Undertow, follow me." With that, the small shark set off into the water and began to start for the horizon.

Much to Keira's surprise, Melody rose from her spot on the beach and climbed into a nearby boat. "It couldn't hurt." Knowing she would feel responsible if something happened to the girl, Keira decided to join her.

Undertow remembered his orders. _'Tempt the girl to come to me, the keyblade-wielding princess, too; they're completely without the others and fresh for the picking. Do not fail me.'_ Morgana had said to him. The shark wasn't exactly sure if he trusted the witch who had given Morgana the power to control those Heartless and Nobody creatures, but it was worth a shot. Melody rowed the boat after Undertow while Keira swam next to it. Sebastian watched them from the outside of the castle wall and squeaked in fear.

**XxX**

"We only want to see Princess Ariel," explained King Mickey for what had to be the tenth time to one of the guards inside the castle. Behind him Riku, Kairi, Axel, Roxas, Naminé, Tifa, and Cloud were growing impatient. They probably looked a little off-putting, such a big group demanding to see the princess late at night.

Donald, Sora and Goofy entered the castle behind them, "Your majesty!"

"Who are you people?" The guard growled.

Sora was not put off by the guard in the least. "We're here to see Prince Eric and Princess Ariel."

"Of course you are," mumbled the guard, darkly.

"Sora, Goofy, Donald!" called a redheaded woman from a staircase just beyond the guard.

The guard's tone promptly became polite. "You know these people, your highness?"

"Yes, please leave them alone." At her words, the guard departed abruptly, and she ran down the stairs, clenching the skirt of her pink dress as she moved. "You guys haven't aged at all." Ariel smiled, though it was not like her old smile, it looked anxious.

Sora rubbed the back of his head. "So we've been told." She looked at the group of strangers behind him, and he snapped. "Right, I guess I should introduce you. That's King Mickey, we've told you about him. That's Riku, my best friend. Kairi, my other best friend, and our other close friends Tifa, Roxas, Naminé, Cloud, and Axel." Sora pointed to each person as he spoke their name, but, when he finished, his eyebrows furrowed together.

"...You guys aren't merpeople and Keira isn't with you," he realized, sighing, "Of course."

Ariel's smile became a little friendlier. "It's nice to meet all of you. I'm looking for someone, too. You haven't seen my daughter, Melody, by any chance, have you?" Everyone shook their heads; with the exception of the guard, they had seen no one. "Eric and I can't seem to find her anywhere... But I guess I should explain to you the wall and why she's angry with me.

"When Melody was first born, we introduced her to the merpeople while on Eric's ship. But then Ursula's sister, Morgana, came and almost fed her to that shark of hers. Eric managed to save her, but Morgana disappeared and she will stop at nothing to get Daddy's trident. We had to build the wall so that Melody wouldn't go into the ocean." She sighed as she came upon a particularly painful memory. "I recently discovered that Melody has been going into the ocean, and I yelled at her. She ran from the room and now I just can't find her."

"We'll help you," offered Kairi said, making Sora smile; she was always eager to help other people.

"Oh, Kairi," said Ariel, as if just noticing her. "Sora always used to talk about you nonstop. You're a princess, too, aren't you?" Kairi nodded. "Hm. Wait, why are you all here anyway?"

Sora rubbed the back of his head. "That's just the thing, Ariel. Maleficent's starting up trouble again. She's after the Princesses of Heart and princess of two hearts." At Ariel's confused stare, Sora continued, "There's another princess. Her name is Keira and she was with us before, but now she's gone."

"I hope the Heartless aren't back here. If Melody's gone back into the ocean, then..." Ariel trailed off, and the rest could guess her thoughts.

Sebastian's voice, shockingly loud for such a small creature, drew them from their conversation, "Ariel!" He was scuttling as fast as he could, and, in his anxiety, slid across the freshly waxed floors. He managed to stop himself at the princess' feet. "Oh, Ariel, Melody's gone! She followed dat little shark of Morgana's! And dere was another mermaid with her!"

"Another mermaid?" asked Ariel, both worried and hopeful, "Was she familiar?"

"She don't look like anyone from Atlantica."

Tifa bent down so she was closer to the crab. "What did she look like exactly, Sebastian?"

"It's hard to tell since her hair was wet, but her hair looked kind of blonde and black. Her eyes were hazel." The others sighed, unable to believe their luck.

"That's Keira, alright," mumbled Riku.

Ariel hitched up her dress a little. "We better go talk to Daddy."

**XxX**

"You may use the Heartless and Nobodies as you see fit, Morgana," drawled Maleficent, standing on an icy platform while a skinny octopus with greenish skin sat in a seashell chair. "But I suggest you be sure that you don't let the darkness overrun you."

Morgana laughed. "Don't worry about me; I have things perfectly under control, my dear Maleficent. I will be sure to bring the princess to you if I am able to get my tentacles on her." Something that was definitely still alive squeaked as her tentacle grabbed it off of a nearby tray and dropped it into her mouth.

Maleficent hid the disgust from her fact. "Ah, yes, of course. Well, I shall be on my way in that case." As she disappeared, she knew exactly what would become of Morgana. The darkness was, after all, quite tempting...

**XxX**

Following their conversation in the castle, Ariel had found Eric, explained the situation, and asked if they could go see her father. Now, the chilly group stood on the prince's ship, staring down at a muscular man with long white hair and a beard to match. "I promise you that we're looking everywhere we can, Ariel."

Eric glanced at his wife, Sora, Donald, and Goofy. "They could use more help."

"Daddy, can you turn us back so that we can help the search under the sea?" asked Ariel as she hugged Eric.

Kairi's eyes lit up at the thought, "Oh, me, too! Please," she added so that she sounded less pathetic.

"Well..." King Triton started a little hesitantly, "I don't see why not." He held up his Trident and pointed it at the small group.

"I'll bring her home." Ariel promised as she kissed her husband on the lips. A light engulfed Ariel, Sora, Donald, Goofy, and Kairi, and they fell into the water with a splash.

Sora did not look completely different as he resurfaced and shook his bangs out of his eyes. "Keep your eyes peeled, guys," he called to his friends on the ship.

Riku nodded. "Be careful."

Sora and Kairi nodded determinedly. "We will."

**XxX**

Keira was extremely exhausted, having been swimming for a few hours now. _'At least,' _she thought sourly, _'I know exactly how much I can push myself. I'll make sure never to mention that to a gym teacher, though...'_ Melody, however, was fast asleep inside the boat, the fog not bothering her as it did the 'mermaid.' "Here we are." Undertow announced, awakening Melody instantly, "Morgana's." Since Melody drifted off, two sting rays, clearly associated with Morgana as well, had been pulling the boat, and they pulled it into a cave.

The cave was not terribly large, and the only thing it seemed to house was an icy isle, where an olive-skinned octopus turned toward them with a smile, her wild hair blowing behind her. "Oh, my, to what honor do I owe this visit? Come in, come in, get out of that cold." She held out her hand, helping Melody out of the boat and into the seashell chair. "How may I help you, my dears?"

Keira rested on a small rock, relieved that she could finally stop swimming, and shrugged. "I'm just a bystander."

Melody unclasped the shell-shaped locket around her neck and held it out to Morgana. "Can you tell me about this?" Morgana opened it with ease, causing a small golden castle and mermaids to appear within a bubble. "Atlantica?" gasped Melody. "But my mother said it was just an old fish tale!"

"Ah, and your mother would know," remarked Morgana in a dark voice. "Child, if your mother lies to you so cruelly, she obviously doesn't care about you, but I know your deepest desire and I also know how to make it come true."

"Can you really?"

"I know how badly you wish to be a mermaid, my dear. I have just the thing, too." Morgana rose from her seat and began to dig through a cabinet filled with viles, flinging this and that out of the way as she reached into the back. When she returned, a purplish-pink potion bottle with the face of a fat octopus was in her hand.

Undertow appeared to recognize the vial immediately as he started to jump in and out of the water. "Ursula's magic? Where'd you get that?"

Keira felt her blood run cold at the name, having to pinch herself so that she would not gasp. _'Sora said Maleficent recruited Ursula once before! This woman is an octopus, has Ursula's magic, and has a dart board with Ursula's face on it. Either she was friends with her or she was somehow related.'_ She looked up just in time to see light engulf Melody's body. By the time the light had faded, Melody's legs had been replaced by a pink mermaid tail.

The teenager dropped into the water. "Yes, I'm a mermaid!" At that point, Morgana turned away from them and began to weep, collapsing on a chair. "What's wrong?" Melody's joy faded away at the sight of her new friend crying, and neither girl could see the grin Morgana was wearing.

**XxX**

Morgana's grin had appeared with good reason. Following Melody asking her what was wrong, she delivered to them a very sad story about how she had come to lose her most prized possession. "I can't believe that a crazy old man stole her Trident!" huffed Melody as they swam out of the cave, lifting her hand over her head as the early morning sunlight shone down on them.

"I can't, either." Though Keira mentally added, _'I can't believe it, as in, what a liar.'_ She looked up just in time to see a hulking iceberg in the way of the other girl. "Hey, Melody, look out!" She warned a beat too late as Melody crashed onto the ice, and shattered the ice map. "Wow, I wish I'd seen _that_ one coming."

Melody attempted to piece together the map Morgana had given her to no avail. "No! Now we'll never get to Atlantica!" Keira tore her attention away from her as a large wave splashed her in the face. Then, it happened again. She spit out the water and wiped her face as a brown walrus with a friendly face approached them.

"Excuse me, misses," he began in a polite voice as a penguin joined them.

"But we couldn't help overhearing your predicament."

The walrus smiled at them. "I'm Dash and he's Tip. We can help you get to Atlantica."

Melody could not believe their luck. "Oh, could you? That would be great! Thank you so much."

Seeing that Melody would have new allies that appeared trustworthy (Keira had never seen anything cuter in her life than a talking penguin and walrus), Keira spoke up. "Say, guys, go on to Atlantica. I have to go do something quickly. I'll be right here when you guys return."

Melody looked as though she was going to say something, but she nodded instead. "Okay. We'll be back soon. Wait right here for us." She snuck one final stare at Keira before urging Tip and Dash that they could leave as Keira waved goodbye. Once the three were out of sight, she turned around and swam back toward the cave.

She hid around a corner as Morgana spoke in a lazy drawl. "They don't suspect a thing, Maleficent. Stop worrying. Don't you have other princesses to catch? I have bigger fish to fry." At that moment, the octopus snapped her fingers and Keira was surrounded by a group of Screwdriver heartless. **(A/N: Those were the green heartless in Atlantica in KH1)**

Keira's heart skipped a beat as Shadow Heart flashed into her hand. "Shit." She had _thought _that she was being stealthy. How did Morgana know...? One of the Screwdrivers grabbed her arm while the other held a spear to her throat. "Oh, please tell me you're kidding."

"Why, of course we aren't kidding. Eavesdropping is a very bad vice, my dear." Morgana grinned as she and Undertow closed in on the wielder.

**XxX**

"The sea's so calm that you wouldn't think that there are any Heartless in this world at all," mused Cloud as he stared into the tranquil waters below the boat.

Tifa nodded. "I'm with you on that, I don't see anything moving in the visible distance."

Eric steered the wheel of his ship, his eyes blazing with determination. "They're out there somewhere. They've got to be."

* * *

**A/N: I led you on in the last chapter, right? This chapter was done even before the last one! I love the Little Mermaid Two and I thought it would work well, so hey, why not?**


	13. Selfish Wish

**A/N: I have advice for you readers. You don't have to listen to it, of course, but I'm just saying it out of experience. If you're trying to battle dragon Maleficent at level 25 on the hard mode, don't. Just... don't do hard mode. Because, eventually, you will have to fight dragon Maleficent, and Donald won't heal you. Yes, anyway, since I changed the description of the story, I have to remember my disclaimers again! Today we're going to get assistance from Melody!**

**Melody: Um, Lollipop doesn't own any characters from Kingdom Hearts or Final Fantasy? And definitely not anybody from the Disney movies! Keira, Quince, and the plot are the only things that belong to her.**

**Quince: I'm not a **_**thing**_

**Keira: Could've fooled me.**

**Can't believe I forgot to mention this! Obviously, there are spoilers for the Little Mermaid Two in this chapter!**

* * *

"Wow, this place is so beautiful!" remarked Melody, awe in her voice. She, Tip, and Dash had finally arrived at the fabled land, Atlantica, where many mermaids and mermen were swimming around. No one initially questioned Melody's appearance; Atlantica was so large that she could have easily been from around there. Unbeknownst to everyone, even she, she was the granddaughter of Atlantica's ruler.

In her distraction of taking in her surroundings, she was not paying attention to where she was swimming and ran into a blond boy. They apologized in perfect unison and laughed. "Hey, I haven't seen you around here before, are you new?" The boy asked; Melody nodded, unable to find her voice as she stared at the cute stranger. "That's cool, you wanna hang out with me and my friends?" Melody smiled widely and nodded more frantically. "What's your name?" Melody opened her mouth to respond, but she was stopped by Tip grabbing her arm.

"Agh, never bring a country fish to the big city," he complained as he pried her away from flirting further; or, more accurately, to pry her from the flirting boy.

The boy looked a little discourage and more than a little frightened by the angry penguin. "Uh, well, I'll see you around!"

The three of them entered the throne room of the palace and were very shocked to see that no one was there. In fact, the only thing that was in the room was the thing that they had come for; the golden trident shone bright and beautiful in its large stand. "There it is!" Melody whispered as if she were afraid somebody would hear.

Tip pushed her along. "Go and get it! It's either now or never, kid!" He told her in what he clearly thought was a reassuring voice.

Now that the object she needed was in her line of sight, she found herself having a hard time willing herself to grab it. This was, after all someone's possession... No, no, she reminded herself, this was someone's _stolen _possession; it was Morgana's! "U-uh, r-right!" She swam forward and seized the Trident by the rod though it did not so much as budge. Frowning, she tugged a few more times until it came loose and she tumbled backwards in the water.

Voices came from the hallway behind them. "Hurry up, Melody!" Dash urged her as he swam out of the room. However, something on the ground had caught Melody's eye, a picture of a little girl. She swam toward it in order to get a better look, but Tip pulled her away before she could even get close.

"We can't stay here!" He hissed as they followed after the walrus. Behind them Sora, Ariel, Kairi, a fat yellow fish, Donald, Goofy, and King Triton swam into the room.

Triton shook his head. "There have been no signs at all, none whatsoever." He looked to Sora, his anxious expression not fading. "So you say that the Heartless are back? Are you sure that they're here?"

Sora glanced at Donald and Goofy. "Well, we're not sure, your Majesty, but we're pretty positive." He replied, sweeping his eyes to the stand beside the throne. "But Heartless aren't that important right now."

"Huh?" Donald quacked, "What do you mean?"

All eyes followed Sora's. "The Trident is gone?"

**XxX**

"Heartless keep getting weirder and weirder," decided Keira as she swung at one of the Screwdrivers. It blocked while another one used its spear to jab her in the back, "And progressively more annoying!"

Morgana cackled from a safe distance as she and Undertow watched the fight with entertainment. "Fool, you cannot beat the Heartless!"

Undertow was much less interested in the princess, fixing his mistress with a glare. "Why didn't you use that potion on me?"

Morgana's laugh faded, her eyebrows raised. "Surely, you aren't still angry about that?"

"Wouldn't you be angry if you were shrunk down to my size?" Morgana had to agree.

"When we get the Trident, Undertow," she promised. "In the meantime, relax while we still have something to entertain us." Little did she know that an old, white, forgetful seagull had already caught sight of them and turned back to relay the news.

**XxX**

"O, Prince Eric, husband of my favorite girl!" A loud and annoying voice called over the roaring of the sea. Cloud, Tifa, Riku, Eric and Mickey looked around for the source as Scuttle closed in and landed on the ship's railing. Immediately, Eric remembered the seagull from his wife's childhood.

"Scuttle," he spoke with a shaky voice, "Did you find anything?"

The seagull nodded with obvious pride. "I did, and I even remembered! Let's see, now... I found Morgana's hideout. It's in a cave that way." Scuttle pointed a wing in the general direction he had just flown from. "Morgana's got this army of weird-looking green creatures attacking a girl."

"Was Melody there?" Eric asked urgently.

Scuttle shook his head sadly. "Nope! But Morgana did mention something about having the Trident brought to her." As if on cue, Ariel, Sora, Donald, Goofy, Kairi, the fat fish, and King Triton surfaced.

"The Trident's been stolen and only Melody could have done it," said Ariel in a voice of deep regret. "Have you guys found anything?"

Mickey nodded. "Fellas, I think we'll need an army on our hands."

"The girl was Keira," guessed Cloud.

"It had to be," agreed Mickey.

**XxX**

"Silly Heartless," Keira began as another captured heart floated up to Kingdom Hearts, "You can't beat me."

The entertainment had very quickly ceased once Keira figured out a strategy against the Screwdrivers. As the last one was defeated, Morgana sighed, "We need that Trident."

"Exit stage left." Keira dove underwater and disappeared from the cave.

It was Undertow who knocked Morgana out of her reverie, "That girl! She got away!"

Morgana waved an impatient hand. "That's not important, it won't last long." Undertow fixed the envious octopus with a quizzical stare, but she did not elaborate.

Keira resurfaced at the mouth of the cave just as Melody was attempting to enter it, and the two ran into each other. She overcame her shock, urging, "Melody, whatever you do, don't bring her that Trident!"

Melody glared a little at her, clearly impatient. "If I don't give her the Trident then I can't be a mermaid forever."

"And that trip to Atlantica would've been for nothing!" added Tip angrily. Melody was starting to wonder if Tip only had the one emotion.

"Oh, you'll both get over that," decided Keira. "Don't give her the Trident, Melody, I mean it!"

A scowl appeared on the girl's face. "You're not the boss of me, Keira!" On cue, Morgana came swimming their way; she looked distressed, but Keira knew it was just an act.

"Oh, Melody! Don't listen to this wretched girl, she's a liar. She's jealous that you can become a mermaid, too."

Keira fixed the octopus with an incredulous stare. If only _she _could come up with such amazing stories, then she would never have to do any schoolwork. "_Where_ do you even _get_ these things?" she demanded, flabbergasted. Though she knew Melody was blinded by her own wants, Keira knew that she had to try to convince her otherwise. "Melody, you can't trust her! She's working with an evil witch that wants to take over the world! Morgana doesn't care about you, Melody!"

Morgana's expression became very tragic. If the wretched woman was not so awful, even Keira might have felt badly for her. "Please, darling, hand me the Trident. It's the only way to make you one with the sea." Melody looked to Keira only once before handing over the Trident, and, instantly, all hell broke loose. "Foolish girl!" Morgana laughed, body glowing with power from the Trident, grabbing both by the arms and pulling them back into her cave. Tip and Dash had long retreated, spooked by the appearance of the octopus.

Melody's jaw dropped, unable to believe that she had been so badly manipulated. "B-but y-you said th-that you would m-make me a mermaid. I don't understand..."

"Poor, naïve child, hasn't your mommy ever taught you not to trust complete strangers?" Keira glared at the woman and tried to hit Morgana's arm repeatedly with Shadow Heart, but it didn't seem to affect the octopus at all. "I am all powerful! Even that foolish key that Maleficent seems to fear has no effect on me!"

**XxX**

Eric carefully steered his ship between icebergs. The air had become steadily cooler, and he assumed that they had gone quite north. The ship came to a stop as Eric awaited further instructions. Surrounding the ship was a merpeople army, as well as Sora, Kairi, Goofy, Donald, Ariel, and King Triton. "Where is it from here, Scuttle?" called Sora as the seagull landed on the side of the ship and scratched the top of his head.

"It's right ahead. No, wait, that's an ice berg. Was it east? West? No, no, no. Maybe it was South-North?"

Donald quacked with agitation. "Scuttle, there's no such thing as 'South-North'."

Sora and Kairi smacked their foreheads. "He didn't honestly forget, did he?" groaned Sora as Kairi giggled nervously and looked around. Had she not been staring so intensely at the rock, she probably wouldn't have noticed the Penguin and Walrus, but, luckily, she did.

They looked scared to death, she thought, so she followed her heart and called, "You two!" Reluctantly, Tip and Dash swam toward her. "You haven't seen a blonde mermaid swimming around with a black-haired girl, have you?"

Dash tilted his head to the side. "Melody and Keira?"

"Yes!" The whole group exclaimed, relieved.

Kairi grinned, pleased with their luck. "Where are they?" Dash pointed a shaking fin toward a cave that was glowing grin.

"I-in th-there." A mad cackle filled the air, and, as if on cue, an army of Heartless surrounded the group.

"Well, Sora, there's the answer. There are heartless here." Donald quacked disdainfully.

* * *

**A/N: Okay, let me say that if I have been referring to King Triton as King Trident that I'm sorry. I just noticed that I've been typing it a few times in this chapter that way. So sorry. Dx** **Next chapter should be the last one for this world. Then again, I might lengthen it out a bit. And as a future warning, this story is probably going to be **_**very**_** long. So if you don't like long fanfics, I suggest you stop here. Ja!**


	14. Rescue

**A/N: Alright, I am officially adding another reviewer to my white list! xcrescentxmoonx was dedicated enough to go back and review all my chapters. She's more dedicated than I am. Haha.** **And for future reference, my teachers were very stupid. xDD** **Anyway, 615 friggin' hits? That makes me happy. Keep up the reading and reviewing please, keep this story alive! Oh, and for the record, the last chapter was called 'Selfish Wish' because Melody doesn't care about anything but staying a mermaid.**

* * *

"You two brats will stay out of my way while I take over this world." Beneath the water, Morgana swam toward a small, cave-like, opening in the wall which looked more like a dent than it did an actual cave. Two tentacles were wrapped around each girl and Keira, worn out from her fight with the Heartless, only tried to free herself half-heartedly.

She could, at the very least, try to sound intimidating. "You are one twisted lady."

Morgana carelessly glanced at her. "So I've heard. Well, not from my mother." Not for the first time, she began to mutter a tirade about being 'unappreciated' and 'stupid sister getting all of the glory'. Keira and Melody exchanged glances, too anxious to laugh at the crazy woman. "Now then," she pulled herself together and hurled the girls into the dent where they hit the wall and slid down. With Trident in hand, Morgana pointed the magical weapon at Keira.

Melody's eyes widened, expecting the worse. "Hey, what are you doing?"

"You see, my dear," Morgana drawled, "Your little friend isn't a real mermaid." A beam of light flew out of the Trident and hit Keira, who screwed her eyes shut as she felt her body shift to its normal form. Melody stared at her in awe as Keira, reverted to her tube top, skirt and boots, gasped and held her breath. "She is from very far away, though, a princess of another land. I'll come back for her later." Morgana considered another thought. "And as for your time as a mermaid, Melody, I'd say that it'll be pretty much over in some minutes. Farewell!"

Furious, Melody kicked off the wall in order to get at Morgana but was stopped as a thick layer of ice sealed the cave. "Why, you, you, you-!" growled the girl.

Morgana simply smiled as she swam away from them. "Have a nice time, dears." Melody glared at her fellow prisoner, and Keira wanted to say something, anything, but she knew that there was nothing she could say that would make anything okay. In addition to that, she could no longer breathe underwater.

Instead, she did the only thing she could to prove how sorry she was: Keira swung at the ice with Shadow Heart in a feeble attempt to free them. Deciding not to say anything at all, Melody just shook her head and banged her shoulder into the icy wall.

**XxX**

Bolts of lightning hit the top of the water and killed several Heartless, releasing a cloud of pink hearts, as Donald blew on the top of his. Several types of Heartless had joined them: Shadows on small ships, Air Soldiers, Search Ghosts, Darkballs and even Wyverns. Tifa kicked away two Darkballs with a grin on her face. "Hah." There was a rustling of wings behind her, but it quickly disappeared as Cloud swung his Buster sword, destroying the Wyvern. He sighed, leaning against his large blade.

Riku voice his thoughts exactly. "We're never going to get in there at this rate."

"Maybe some of us should go in there?" suggested Kairi.

Mickey pointed at an ice castle, rising from the depths of the water near the cave where Keira and Melody were supposed to be. "I don't think that'll be necessary, fellas."

"Morgana!" yelled King Triton.

Eric squinted his eyes, but he only saw the octopus. "I don't see Melody."

"Gawrsh, I don't see Keira neither," added Goofy.

Sora swung Ultima Weapon at a Wyvern hovering above Kairi, "Hey, Donald? I think we might all be able to fight better if we were on land." He stated, glancing at Kairi who was having a hard time with attacking Heartless and moving around in the water at the same time. His mermaid lesson had been quite brief, so he was surprised that she was doing half as well as she was.

"Gotcha," quacked Donald as he raised his staff, some type of dust falling over the group of them. Kairi felt immense relief as her purple mermaid tail became two legs and feet again, pulled onto an icy bank by Sora; Donald and Goofy snickered as they climbed up as well. Unsurprisingly, more Heartless appeared. As Sora, Donald, and Goofy prepared to attack them, Kairi groaned and sliced away at the Shadows with a certain annoyed drive that did not seem possible for her. Clearly, Sora, Donald and Goofy agreed for they were staring at her with wonder; she had effectively wiped out all of the Heartless on the islet.

She blushed, rubbing the back of her head, and stared at her feet. "What?"

Riku very nearly flung himself over the side of the ship as he shouted, "Kairi, look out!" A Wyvern swooped down on her, but it quickly met its end as Riku jumped off of the ship, brandishing Way to Dawn.

"Thanks though, you know, that was kind of risky!"

Riku simply grinned. "No problem." The remainder of the Heartless made a sort of hissing noise, disappearing all together, as the sky began to turn green. Sitting on top of the icy fortress was Morgana, who looked quite pleased with herself.

"Bow down to me!" she cackled, waving her arms wildly. "Bow down!" She pointed the Trident at a nearby merman soldier and, by a blast of light; he was bent into an awkward bowing position, unable to move at all. Sora looked around at Riku, Kairi, Donald, and Goofy. The four nodded as one before he even asked.

Sora turned toward the ship. "We need a plan, guys!" Hearing his call, Tifa, Cloud, Roxas, and Naminé jumped from the ship without a second thought; Axel elected to remain safely atop the ship and away from the rough waters.

"We'll rush the castle," decided Roxas.

"We can't _all_ rush the castle, Roxy," Naminé muttered, bitter that she had no weapon and no means of fighting.

**XxX**

Keira slammed Shadow Heart against the ice once more, more out of aggravation than an actual belief that she would do any damage. The familiar sensation of bursting lungs burned through her entire body and, despite her exhaustion, she forced herself not to try to breathe the water. She felt pleasantly surprised when a crack appeared in the ice and looked to Melody, who was still a mermaid with no trouble breathing. A look of determination passed over Melody's features as she rushed the wall with her body. Though she was unsure of what, if anything, Melody could do, she admired the intent, but... Everything was darkening around Keira quickly, and unable to take it any longer, she released her breath as she floated to the bottom of their prison.

Melody sensed her falling comrade and turned. "Keira!" She knew there was nothing that she could do for her friend aside from not giving up. Biting her lip, she slammed herself even harder into the ice. _'We need help! Oh, this is all my fault...'_ "I'm so sorry." Her eyes closed but then quickly fluttered open in shock. A light had engulfed her body, but this time... "I'm turning human again!" She gasped, quickly attempting to hold in some breath as her tail disappeared and legs returned. She slammed herself into the crack from Shadow Heart and made it a little bigger, but she didn't have as much air as the other girl.

_'We... need... help...'_ Melody thought again as she too fell toward the bottom.

xxx

_"But, mommy, I want to go swimming. I'll be careful, I promise!" A significantly younger Melody begged a younger Ariel. _

_Ariel simply smiled and picked up her young daughter._ _"It's just not safe, darling."_

_"What couldn't be safe about shallow water?" whined Melody, tears in her eyes as her lip trembled. _

_Despite her own sigh, Ariel continued to smile. "I just want to keep you safe, honey, I love you. I know that you don't believe me, but there are dangerous things and people in the sea. Even in shallow water. If you don't go into the water, then you will be safe." Melody looked up at her mother quizzically with the mention of 'people' under water, but vowed to teach herself how to swim and sneak into the open sea._

**xxx**

_A small brown-haired boy was sitting on an orange kitchen counter top. He was sniffling as his eyes stared down at the large bandage on his knee. "Stop your whimpering already," An older and taller boy with dark hair said as he stopped in front of Quince, who quickly sucked in his lower lip. The older boy sighed and laughed. "Can't you see that you can still get hurt in the safest realms, too?" He muttered to no one in particular._

_"What're you talkin' about?" asked Quince, head tilted at an angle. _

_The older boy laughed again and ruffled his hair._ _"Even in a lighter realm, you can still get hurt. In the dark realms, you get hurt, too. However, they still say that darkness is bad." The boy shook his head, his long, dark hair shaking with the movement. "They say that you can't trust the darkness because the people there are only interested in their own well-being," He paused. "Maybe you should only care for yourself, too, Quince, since you're such a whiner."_

_"I am not a whiner!" whined Quince as his brother gave him a look that said 'Really?'_

_"Still, people are like that in this world, too. Haha, maybe we're closer to the darkness than we think." For good measure, he held out his hand and a purplish black shadow appeared around it for a split second. "At least the darkness makes you more powerful." He nodded and looked at the younger boy once more. "Quince, I want to give you some advice as your big brother." _

_Quince nodded his head furiously._ _"Yeah? Yeah?" _

_"Entrust yourself to the darkness so you can become stronger. It'll pay off. There is tons of darkness in the world; people just don't notice the Shadows in the corners of things. We're all just at such a loss of hope that most people here are Heartless, for god's sake." Quince's older brother shook his head. "And that little girl you like so much, Stefa? Don't trust her. You two are at opposite ends, believe me." With that, the older boy ruffled Quince's hair a final time before exiting through the back door and leaving hs very confused little brother sitting on the counter._

xxx

Quince stared up into the night sky as he leaned a little more against the white building, a smirk on his face. _'So, he knew all along. But were Stefa and I always so far away from each other? Maybe my brother manipulated me into thinking it to make all of this happen. But that drawing... there was no mistaking it.' _This time, he laughed, _'Unless Maleficent somehow knew my brother and made him do it so it would happen? I wouldn't doubt that at all. It took years, and I took his advice, but I was always dragged back to her... like the time she fell and slid across the room even though, at the time, it was me she was trying to get away from. Ironic. That scared me.'_ He sighed. _'Why did she scare me then?'_

Without changing his expression, he swung his keyblade at a large figure as it came around the corner. Pete drew back his hands and rubbed them, "Pretty sharp, kid."

"What do you want?" asked Quince, voice full of loathing and mockery.

Pete shrugged. "I just wanted to see how good ya were at reactin'. Guess you're good."

Quince relaxed just a little, though not enough to call off his weapon. "Maleficent wanted you to check up on me?" He guessed as he doubled over to pick up a rock. Indifferently, he turned around and hurled it at the large castle. Pete nodded, watching as the rock made a nice scratch in the paint.

"She just wants to make sure ya aren't havin' second thoughts."

"Me? Second thoughts?" Quince laughed with a coldness that was unlike him. "Does she take me as a fool? Why would I possibly have second thoughts?"

"Because of your little girlfriend."

Quince scowled at the ignorant creature, "Yeah, right."

**XxX**

For some very strange reason, Keira felt refreshed. During her time unconscious, her thoughts drifted to her 'old life' and she felt like someone had personally dumped a whole bunch of potions on her. When she opened her eyes, she was still at the bottom of the small opening in the cavern wall. What was more, Melody was unconscious beside her. Keira bit her lip; she wasn't sure how long this high would last, but she had to get the two of them out of there and fast.

Keira wrapped her left arm around Melody's waist, pulling up the dead weight and returning to the large crack. _'At least Melody managed to damage it a little more.'_ She closed her eyes, holding out her keyblade. _'Give me strength.'_ Although what she had hoped would happen happened, Keira was still shocked to feel the Shadow Heart shake a little as a light shot out from the tip. A chunk large enough for her and Melody to fit through appeared, _'Bingo!'_

She wasted no time in exiting the icy prison and returning to the open water, calling off Shadow Heart and swimming as fast as she could with one arm and two legs. It was significantly more difficult than she had expected, and she flailed around in the water until she made it out of the cave. She kicked upward until, for the first time in what felt like forever, her head broke to the surface. Water flew out of her mouth as she coughed and took in gulps of air at the same time. _'I probably couldn't have done that without Melody.'_ In a hurry to get the dead weight out of her arm, Keira searched for some type of shore.

Shore was not that difficult to find, as many people were standing on an icy landmass, while, in the water, all of the mermaids and creatures were in awkward bending positions. The adrenaline that had just saved her and Melody's lives wore off as quickly as it came, and she was already having a difficult time keeping them both afloat. "Help us!" Her voice was raspy and shaky, reminding her of the door scene in Titanic, and she distantly wondered how long she had been unconscious without somehow dying.

From the shore, Naminé could make out two distant female figures, "Keira and Melody!" Feeling that there was nothing else she could do to help, she jumped into the water. Her sun dress billowed out in front of her a little, but she didn't care. She swam rapidly toward the two girls, ignoring the distant shouts of 'danger!' and 'Heartless!'

Keira coughed out more water, relieved to see the Nobody quickly approaching them, "N-Naminé."

"You're alright," sighed Naminé with true relief and, with a glance at the unconscious Melody, added, "You'll have to explain later, but I'll take her for you."

Keira handed over Melody but shook her head. "Too tired, can't move."

"Too tired?" echoed Naminé. "You can't be! We're in the middle of a fight!"

Keira coughed again, as if to prove her point. "Take Melody to the shore."

"And what about you?"

Keira merely saluted, something that would serve as a very amusing story later, she was sure. "Don't worry," she responded, pushing the Nobody a little as she noticed the fin of a shark. "Go." Naminé didn't bother to ask why she was being so pushy and headed back to the icy shore with Melody in hand. Keira swallowed and coughed a few more times before calling, "Shadow Heart." There was something comforting about grasping the cold metal in itself, and then an idea formed in her mind as Undertow stopped before her.

He was significantly larger than she remembered him. In fact, he was _probably _his normal shark size now. His eyes flashed with hunger as he licked his lips. "Well, how about that? A snack."

"Yeah, that's right," she breathed as she distantly questioned if she was about to do was totally insane. She launched herself out of the water and on top of him, and he bucked like a horse as he sped off toward Morgana's castle. Keira managed a weak grin. "Thanks for the lift!"

"It won't last long," promised Undertow as he purposely swam toward a part of the fortress where a thick branch of ice was hanging. He ducked underwater at the last moment as the ice caught Keira's chest.

At least and this was the only positive she could come up with, the ice _held _her up. "Damn," she groaned, flailing with Shadow Heart in an attempt to free herself. Instead, she destroyed other parts of Morgana's precious fortress.

Morgana glared down from her 'throne,' "You?" she hissed. "You should be dead by now!" The cctopus raised the Trident. "No matter, I have unlimited power. Therefore I can choose to kill you whichever way I find most entertaining." Just as the Trident began to glow, she screwed her eyes shut, though, immediately after, she felt herself flying through the air. Cloud had one hand on his Buster sword and the other on Keira, whose jaw dropped at the sight of him.

She had never been more pleased to see him in her life, "Cloud!" As soon as they dropped onto land, she hugged him and, at the same time, relished in the feel of something solid below her feet. Cloud nodded at her before looking up at Morgana, daring her to make another move.

"I am all powerful! You fools cannot beat me!" Morgana screeched, holding the Trident up and making it glow even brighter before flicking it at the water and land. In an instant, more ice rose from the ground, and Cloud picked Keira back up.

**XxX**

"Melody!" called Eric, relieved, as Naminé climbed onto the slippery shore with the young princess. He knelt down beside his daughter and threw a dark towel around her. "Thank you," he added, looking to his daughter's savior. She nodded, but was unable to speak due to the chattering of her teeth and violent shaking of her body.

A light thud sounded close to her ears as her shoulders felt a little warmer. She looked down to see Roxas' familiar jacket resting around her. "W-won't y-you b-b-be c-c-cold?" she stuttered, still shaking, though she felt a little warmer, thanks in part to her burning cheeks.

Roxas shook his head, trying to appear indifferent as his face flushed a little, too, "Nah. I'll be fine."

* * *

**A/N: Muahah. So I think I'll have at least two more chapters for this world. Anyway, if there are any stupid mistakes in here, I apologize times one million. Hmm. I think that's all I have to say, see you next chapter!**


	15. Storm the icy fortress!

**A/N: Happy Mother's Day, guys! This would've been updated last night had I not spent the whole day helping out my cousins. Anyway, -gets all shy and stuff- So apparently I'm a good writer? I'm glad to hear because I keep getting worried that people will be turned off by this story. So danku. Also, I realize that if you were to watch the Little Mermaid Two, Morgana wouldn't be so violent. Psh, come on, this is a Teen rated story, so we have to spice things up. In other words, please don't watch Little Mermaid Two for the sake of seeing a very insane and violent octopus. Once again, this chapter has some spoilers for the movie!**

**Disclaimer-Kingdom Hearts still isn't mine. Neither are any of the characters besides Keira and Quince. :D**

* * *

"Persistent witch," grumbled Riku as he chopped away at several pieces of ice that were trying to entrap him. The sky flashed green and more Heartless appeared in the area; he heaved an impatient sigh.

Sora landed in front of his best friend, swinging at a Wyvern. "You're not getting tired already, are you, Riku?"

Riku raised his eyebrows. "Not getting cocky, are we, Sora?"

Sora's face broke into a large grin, "Whoever defeats the most Heartless-"

"-Doesn't have to wear one of Kairi's dresses?" bargained Riku with a smirk.

Sora shook his hand. "You're on!"

Kairi shook her head, frowning, "Why one of _my_ dresses?"

"Because yours are so pretty," answered Naminé as she pulled Roxas' jacket tighter around her shoulders.

With amusement in her eyes, she asked, "So, they want the loser to be pretty?"

Both girls shook their heads, "Boys."

**XxX**

"Keira, Cloud!" Tifa ran as fast as she could toward her two friends as Cloud returned to the glacier where everyone else was. "Do you miss being a mermaid, Princess?" she asked, half-laughing at Keira's fallen expression.

"Yes," she admitted, feeling her blood rush to her cheeks. "Though, honestly, if I'm underwater again, it would be too soon."

Tifa followed Cloud's gaze up to Morgana. "Should we storm the fortress?"

Cloud nodded, settling his sword on his shoulder, "Yeah, let's." He glanced back at Keira for a moment and added, "Stay here." She nodded with disdain as Tifa and Cloud ran off.

"Keira," mumbled a weak voice as Melody slowly stood and approached her. "I'm sorry."

"You didn't know; it's okay."

Melody, however, shook her head. "No, it's not," she replied in a soft voice as her eyes drifted up Morgana's maniacal form and down to the frozen merpeople and animals in the water. "I have to make this right," she said in a louder, more confident voice as she looked over to Keira. "Please, will you help me?"

Keira considered Cloud's words for only a moment. _'Since when have I really listened to Cloud anyway?_' She nodded, grasping Melody's hand as if they were having a formal agreement. "Alright, let's do it."

**XxX**

Axel, who had finally forced himself off the ship and onto the icy mass with everyone else, glared at the surrounding water and ice. "Of all places we could be, we have to be at sea. At least I can melt the ice." For good measure, he sent a blast of fire at a large chunk of ice as it sprouted from the ground.

"Axel!" called Roxas as he joined him, doubled over and panting.

"You left those two alone."

"Kairi can use her keyblade; that should do them some good."

Axel laughed at his naïve friend. "Hey, hey. Don't doubt Naminé."

Roxas looked a little abashed. "I know that she could fight if she wanted to."

"Of course you do," replied Axel, playfully hitting his friend on the back. He lifted up his chakrams and got into a battle stance as several Air Soldiers surrounded them.

"Hey, I do!" insisted Roxas, glaring at his friend as Oblivion and Oathkeeper flashed into in his hands.

Axel smirked. "First one to one hundred doesn't have to face the wrath of Naminé when she's told about this?"

Roxas grinned, "Deal."

**XxX**

Kairi fished into her pocket for the paopu fruit keychain, attaching it and making Oathkeeper revert to Radiant Destiny. "I like this one a lot," she decided with a smile as the keyblade became covered in flowers. Naminé rolled her eyes a little and giggled, but their moment was cut short: a blur of black streaked past Kairi, knocking Radiant Destiny out of her hand.

"Shadows!" exclaimed Naminé as a group of them jumped on Kairi, knocking her on the ground and burying her. Her eyes went wide with fear as her struggled underneath the group. It would be easy for such a large group of Heartless to take the princess' heart. "Call back your keyblade, Kairi!" The keyblade wielder seemed unable to hear her beneath the pile. Naminé looked around, wildly, but no one was near enough. She inhaled deeply and closed her eyes. _'Let me do this one thing, please!'_

A flash of light appeared in Naminé's hand as it became weighed down by something heavy. Naminé forced her eyes back open to examine the keyblade, which was made of white metal. The bottom of the keyblade had depicted a wave; the middle featured a paupou fruit with a yellow star beside it. Its hilt was an interesting shape, resmbling the zipper on Roxas' jacket. The keychain, the crown that Sora wore around his neck, lightly hit the body of the keyblade from the momentum in which it appeared. "Chain of Memories," she mumbled, staring at her weapon with awe, but, she reminded herself, she did not have time to admire the keyblade; her other was still struggling with the Shadows. "Kairi!" Naminé copied every movement she had ever seen Roxas or Sora make, swinging Chain of Memories at the Heartless and destroying them with ease. When the cloud of black faded, Kairi reappeared, on her knees, clearly exhausted.

Kairi's eyes went wide at the weapon in the Nobody's hand. "Naminé, you can wield a keyblade?"

Naminé now allowed herself to stare at Chain of Memories with a certain fondness. "I guess that I wanted to help you so badly that I freed my true potential." They turned at the distant voices of Axel and Roxas calling their names as the two joined them.

Axel destroyed a few of the straggling Shadows, "You two alright?"

"We're fine," answered Kairi, her eyes not leaving Chain of Memories.

Roxas stared at it with incredulity, "A keyblade? How?"

Naminé put a hand to her heart. "I wanted to help everyone so badly and when Kairi was in trouble, I guess that my heart finally granted my wish." Roxas understood; Naminé didn't want to be weak or the damsel in distress, she wanted to help.

**XxX**

Melody and Keira found it surprisingly simple to reach the fortress as they were interrupted by nothing and no one. "Awesome," she decided before looking to the younger girl. "When we get to the top, I'll distract Morgana so you can get the Trident and give it to your grandfather."

Melody nodded, her heart relaxing just a little that she would not have to deal with Morgana again as she looked up at the intricate ice that made up the fortress. "Sounds good to me, it's not going to be easy to get up there, though."

At this, Keira smirked. "Luckily for us, ice is still sprouting from the ground." She grabbed Melody's hand and pulled her to a spot where the earth was shaking, and, in an instant, they were standing on a steadily growing piece of ice.

Melody did not seem very pleased about this, staring at the shaking structure beneath them, "Now what?"

"We jump from piece of ice to piece of ice," answered Keira as if it were the most obvious thing in the world, eyeing a taller piece of ice growing across from them.

This pleased Melody even less, "What?" She did not receive an answer as Keira jumped to the other piece and stood up almost at her full height, crouching slightly to keep herself from falling.

"C'mon, Mel," called Keira, "Just believe in yourself and you can make it." Her words did nothing to reassure her, so she took a different route, "Look at them, your family, your friends," She pointed to the sea and land where everyone was struggling against Morgana's reign. "We've got to help, don't we?"

Melody swallowed, nodding slowly as she noticed her parents. "Okay. I can do this." She took a few steps backwards before running as fast as she could in order to clear the large gap between the two chunks of ice. Keira grasped her hand and pulled her up. "I did it!"

"See?" Keira turned around to get her bearings.

Tifa and Cloud had made it to the top and were attempting to fight the practically immortal octopus while Morgana cackled and used several of her tentacles to restrain them. Cloud cursed as she pulled them back a little. "You lose, dears," she informed them in a very dangerous voice. With her limitless strength, Morgana held up Cloud and Tifa before hurling them off of the top of the fortress.

Keira's eyes went wide, her hair standing on end. "Cloud, Tifa!" Her eyes tracked the two as they disappeared beneath the water and waited for them to resurface, but they did not. _'They're fine. I know they're fine. They have to be.' _For another few minutes, she stared at the water, but still nothing. She heaved a shaky sigh before glaring up at Morgana. "Melody, let's do this. And remember, don't be afraid."

Melody curled her fingers into fists. "I won't be, we can do this!" Keira decided that there was no time to waste as she flung herself at an actual piece of the fortress, stabbing Shadow Heart into the ice to keep herself from falling.

When Melody looked like she was going to try the same thing, Keira ordered, "Keep riding the ice, Melody."

"O-okay," Melody waited for another ice spire to grow while Keira grasped onto another piece of ice with her free hand while trying to free Shadow Heart with her other hand and feet. In hindsight, she realized that the plan was extremely dangerous, but she was riding the adrenaline rush that Morgana's attack on Cloud and Tifa had given her. When she pulled Shadow Heart free and stabbed it into the other piece of ice, she nearly cried with relief and pulled herself up. She repeated the same thing with a higher piece, this time having a piece of ice beneath her feet to help her out.

Melody only had to wait another moment for a spire to grow before her. Her heart was pounding painfully against her chest and, despite the cold, she could feel sweat trickling down the back of her neck. She bit down on her lip as her fear became so sharp that her stomach actually hurt. She inhaled a single deep breath before charging at the next piece of ice, her hand sliding as she barely grabbed it. She attempted to dig her nails into it, though that proved no good, as it became quite clear that she would fall off within a moment.

At the foot of the fortress, Donald quacked with disbelief, "Wah! Look!" He pointed fervently at the two girl's scaling the fortress.

Eric felt his blood run cold at the sight of his daughter slipping off of the ice, "Melody! No! She's going to fall!"

Melody was panting and she felt panicked as she used her left hand to grip onto the ice tighter, a difficult feat as the ice was making her fingers go numb quite quickly. Her father's cry ascended all the way up to her. _'No! I can't give up!' _His words, his fear, made her all the more determined and, with a shot of luck, Melody pulled up her body onto the ice completely and quickly crawled away from where she had just been hanging on; the spot she had just been broke and plunged into the water below. Her courage faded as fear set back in.

"Melody, don't give up!" Someone shouted from below; Melody quickly looked down and saw her mother determinedly fighting off Morgana's power in an attempt to see her daughter. "You can do it, honey, I believe in you!" Her heart beat a little faster at the words of encouragement; coming from her mother, the words meant a lot.

"I can do it," repeated Melody as she stood. Fortunately, during her hanging time, several tall spires had grown, allowing her to ascend the rest of the fortress and sneak up on Ursula's sister.

Keira chanced a brief glance over her shoulder, relieved to see Melody now following her up at a quick pace. _'She has a lot of heart. Sheesh, I'm surprised she isn't a Princess of Heart, too.' _She was almost to Morgana and stabbed Shadow Heart into another higher part of the ice only, this time, the ice was too hard for the keyblade to pierce. Her reaction time had been dulled by the cold and numb feeling that filled her body, and her feet slid off of the ice, panic overtaking the relief as she released the ice. She was too surprised to scream, only able to squeak as she fell past Melody.

Below, several people shouted her name, but there was nothing she could do, nothing for her to grab onto. Sora thought quickly, pulling a box out of his pocket and sprinkling some golden dust over himself, Ultima disappearing as he soared into the air. He met her long before she fell, descending a little from the force of her fall. "Hey, we've still got a while to go before we can get to Maleficent or your friend. There's no turning back now." Keira looked at him, clearly surprised. "I know you want to save Quince from the darkness because I've been there. It won't be possible if you die, though," he added with a grin. She managed a faint smile of her own as her eyes returned to the top of the fortress where Melody had bravely seized the Trident. "He'll need you to help him just like Melody needs you now."

"They're too far. I can't help," she mumbled.

Sora laughed. "Of course you can! Here." With one hand supporting her, he used the other to grab a handful of pixie dust and sprinkle it over her. "Okay, this is what you have to do to fly: think of a happy thought."

"Eh? What?" Keira's 'what' turned into a scream as Sora dropped her and, below, Naminé and Kairi smacked their foreheads. _'Happy thought, happy thought. Uh, not dying would make me happy. Or, I guess...'_ Keira closed her eyes and felt her body stop. Reopening her eyes, she noticed that she was floating in midair. "Yes! Thanks, Sora!"

Sora nodded, a grin still on his face. "No problem. You just needed some confidence - and a little push." She laughed at his choice of words. "It's not that hard to go up or down, just push yourself a little."

"Alright, are you coming, too?" He was about to answer when they were interrupted by Morgana pushing Melody backwards and, having reclaimed the Trident, pointed it a large chunk of ice. A beam of light halved it, sending the ice hurling toward Roxas, Naminé, Axel, and Kairi.

Sora quickly took off toward them, "Sooner or later." He reached them with moments and picked up Kairi by the waist.

Roxas glared at him as he flew off. "Thanks, Sora!" He turned to Naminé, "Can you still use portals?"

She nodded, holding out her hand, "Of course." A swirling vertex of black and purple appeared just beyond her pale hand.

"Let's go." Roxas gently pushed Naminé in first before he and Axel followed.

Glancing down, Melody found herself at the very edge of the icy platform. She swallowed hard and stared back at the octopus. "End of the line, sweet cakes." Morgana's smile was twisted and loony-looking, and she could only stand there and wait for the octopus to attack. Instead, Morgana screamed in pain; Keira had slammed Shadow Heart into one of Morgana's tentacles, and Morgana whirled around with a ferocious glare.

"Aw, did I hurt you?" Keira asked in a mock-baby voice. Morgana raised the Trident without a word while Keira mouthed, 'now' to Melody. The clang of metal on metal sounded as Morgana slammed the Trident at Keira, who blocked with Shadow Heart. Melody jumped up and grasped the Trident and, taken by surprise, Morgana could not stop her as her powerful weapon was yanked out of her hand.

Morgana's face became even more nightmare-inducing. "You little-" She wrapped a tentacle around Melody's legs and tugged her toward her and, with another, grabbed Keira and held her away from them so that she would not interfere. Melody whimpered, and, unsure, held pointed the bottom of the Trident's staff in what she clearly thought was a menacing way. "Wrong end, sweetheart," cackled Morgana, surprised when the little girl smirked and slammed the bottom into one of her tentacles

As Morgana screeched in pain, Melody hurled the Trident behind them with as much power as she could manage. "Grandfather, I think this belongs to you!"

"No!" screamed Morgana as she watched her precious weapon fall and, in a fit of rage, hurled both girls over the edge. Mind reeling, Keira could not come up with a happy thought but, as they fell, she looked toward Melody. Using all of her might, she pushed Melody so that she would hit land instead of sea where, hopefully, someone would catch her.

All of the sea creatures had been returned to their normal states, making it possible for Dash to slid across the ice and become a cushioned landing for Melody as King Triton caught his Trident and sent Morgana a glare that would've frozen anyone to the core. "Never again will you trouble my family, never!" His voice rumbled loudly as he pointed the weapon at Morgana.

Morgana's body froze. "This is gonna hurt." A bright light shot out from the fork and hit her but, instead of frying her in an instant, she became engulfed in ice. At the same time, her castle began to collapse.

Undertow looked around as the stingrays hovered around him."Heh. Guess we'll just be goin' then." They began to swim away, but they did not get too far: Sora, Kairi, Roxas, and Naminé were in the water waiting for them.

Four keyblades were pointed at the creatures. "Guess again." The stingrays hissed as Undertow stared and water became kicked up during the struggling, hiding the scene. When the water calmed, only the wielders remained. Roxas blew on the tips of Oblivion and Oathkeeper while Naminé giggled.

"Jump ship, fellas!" ordered King Mickey as the collapsing of the fortress made violent waves rise.

Nearby, Tifa and Cloud had towels wrapped around them. "Where'd Keira go?" asked Tifa as she looked around, not relieved by Mickey's downcast expression.

Eric had Melody in his arms and was walking toward Ariel, who was still in the water by the ship. "She saved Melody, but... she must have fallen into the water." Melody's eyes were closed; she appeared unconscious.

Ariel's eyes blazed with determination. "Then, we need to find her." Without another word, she dove underwater.

**XxX**

Keira could not tell exactly how cold the water was as her body had gone completely numb, though she somehow still managed to maintain a grip of Shadow Heart. She swung it in an effort to move upwards but only did so with a little effort and was unsurprised when she continued to sink. Her bangs partially covered one of her eyes, only allowing her to see through the right, and, dimly, she noticed Morgana's ice-encased heading for the sea floor. _'Serves you right, you evil sea witch.' _

When someone's hand grabbed her arm, her body jumped only a little. She decided to blame her not noticing another person on the fact that all of her senses were numbed. She tried to adjust her eyes and saw that a beautiful redhead was pulling her up, and immediately assumed it meant her end, _'A mermaid angel? That's interesting.'_

"Thank you, Keira, for helping my daughter." The angel spoke as Keira's eyes shut.

* * *

**A/N: Okay, next chapter is the last one here! And then we might go visit another world for no reason but to have fun. I don't think I have anything else to say, so see you all next chapter!**


	16. Farewell, dear friends

The waves of the ocean still tossed and turned somewhat violently from the collapsing ofthe castle, but everyone had already returned to safety. They were sitting on the ship, waiting and waiting for Ariel to resurface, hopefully with Keira... Goofy, like most of the people in their group, was staring over the side of the ship, hoping to get a glimpse of something, anything. "Gawrsh, do you think that Ariel will find her?"

Beside him, Riku was gripping the railing so tightly that his knuckles were white as he peered into the dark waters. "She couldn't have gone far."

"And, besides, Ariel's a mermaid. It's not like it would be hard to find her," added Sora.

Kairi sighed. "That wouldn't be a problem now, would it?" She sounded so uncharacteristically depressed that he turned to face her.

"What's wrong, Kai?"

"She took a lot of hits, Sora. Even if Ariel can find her in an instant, what if she's not..." trailed off Kairi, but the others got the gist of what she was (or was not) saying. They all considered it for a moment, but Sora was the first to shake his head and respond.

"Hey, if she's anything like me when I was looking for you and Riku, I'd say that we've got nothing to worry about." Riku snorted something about Keira's stubbornness rivaling Sora's, but Sora chose not to respond.

Roxas folded his arms over his chest. "She better be alright, at any rate."

Naminé, still wearing his jacket, turned to face him with a bewildered expression. "Why's that?"

Roxas grinned. "We need to seal up that keyhole permanently." Kairi and Naminé smacked his head and he added, in a slightly more mellow voice, "She'll be fine, guys. Calm down."

At the opposite end of the ship, Cloud had his eyes fixated on the ocean as well. "I've failed again to protect someone I've cared for."

Tifa shook her head as she invaded his personal space. "Cloud, you've seen that girl; she's like Yuffie. There's no way that she's not alright." Despite her words, she also stared uneasily at the setting sun. They had almost been in the world for twenty four hours now, and, during that time, spent maybe less than an hour in Keira's presence.

"How can you be-?"

Tifa cut him off, guessing the remainder of his sentence, "I'm not sure that she's okay. I'm hoping because I have faith in her." She nodded once, looking away from the sun and back at Cloud, her tired eyes intense with hope. "You should, too."

"The sunset over a sea is always so beautiful, the most beautiful thing in the world," mused Kairi, though she was not staring at the sunset; her eyes had returned to the ocean. Only Sora was beside her now, as the others had moved around to see if they could get a better view.

"You're wrong." His voice was so soft that she nearly missed him speaking at all.

She quirked an eyebrow, lifting her gaze to stare at him. "Excuse me?"

"The sunset over a sea is not the most beautiful thing in the world," he repeated.

With an amused smile upturning the corners of her lips, Kairi asked, "Then, what is?"

Sora only glanced at her for a moment before turning away, mumbling, "You are." His cheeks burned, but his blush was somewhat difficult to see. The cold had already made his cheeks quite pink.

The amusement dropped from Kairi's tone as she gasped, "What?"

Though he feared her reaction, he knew that he had to be honest, so he sat himself on the bottom of the stairs leading up to the steering wheel. "Kairi." The wheels in his head whirled as he attempted to put words to his thoughts and feelings. Unfortunately, this was not exactly his strong suit in these types of situations. Trying once again, he said, "Kairi, when we lost the Islands and I couldn't find you or Riku, I was so scared. When I saw you on Hook's ship without your heart, I was worried and I hated that Riku kept taking you away from me because I thought you'd be safer with me. Anyway, when Peter Pan finally taught me how to fly and I needed a happy thought, I thought of you. I thought of being with you and you being okay. Then... I could fly.

"And when Jack and Sally were dancing in Halloween Town, I thought of me and you. And then," He paused for a breath. "When we got to Hollow Bastion and I saw you lying there on the ground, I knew that I couldn't let anyone take your heart, though at the time I didn't know why." His voice was oddly soft. "After I defeated Ansem and you still weren't okay, I was so worried, until I knew your heart was within me. I didn't even hesitate when I knew the only way to release your heart was also to release mine. I just wanted you to be alright again."

"Sora..."

Sora shook his head. "I have to finish this or I never will. And then, just a while ago when I found out that Organization XIII had you, I..." Sora paused, his voice shaking. He had never told Kairi about this. In fact, he had made perfectly sure that only Goofy and Donald knew. "We were in the Radiant Garden and Xemnas had just disappeared. Axel came and told us that he had kidnapped you, but then he left because Saïx came. I..." Sora inhaled a steadying breath. "I begged him to take me through the darkness so I could see you. He told me to show him how much I wanted to see you, and so I got on the ground and bowed down to him."

Kairi gasped. If there was one thing she knew about Sora, it was that he never gave in to an enemy. She was about to say something, but then thought better of it and allowed him to continue. "When Kingdom Hearts closed on you and the King, I was actually relieved. I was afraid that I would lose you if you were to try to fight in the darkness so soon," he finished, his eyes returning to the sun. "I guess what I'm trying to say, Kairi, is that I care about you a lot; I love you."

Though, just a few moments ago, she thought she would not be happy for quite some time, she was amazed by the difference. With a warm smile on her face, she settled herself beside him on the stairs. "Sora, I never knew that you bowed down to Saïx just to get to me. He said I fueled your anger, and I hated being used like that," she reminisced. "Anyway, Sora, before I remembered who you were exactly back on the Islands when you had disappeared, I always felt like there was this huge hole in my heart. I was happy, but I knew there was something very big missing from my life. So when I finally remembered you, I was dedicated to see you because..." She forced her eyes to her feet, a blush burning her cheeks before she looked back at him. "Sora, I love you too." The two stared into the other's eyes, but they're were interrupted as Roxas slid down the railing.

"_That_ took you two long enough." He stated, shaking his head. "I was worried you two would never get around to it."

"You're one to talk," glared Sora, furious about his Nobody ruining the moment. "What about you and Naminé?" Looking much more graceful than Roxas, Naminé slid down the railing, landing easily on her feet beside him as he put his around her waist.

"Sora, didn't Kairi tell you?" giggled Naminé. "Roxas and I have been together for a while."

Sora's eyes went wide and his mouth dropped, "What?"

Kairi laughed, "I'm sorry." She apologized as she leaned forward and planted a kiss on his lips. "But Roxas wanted to wait until you and I got together."

"Just so he could rub it in your face," remarked Naminé and Kairi in perfect union, grins on their faces.

Sora groaned and smacked his forehead. "Oh well," he said as he stood and placed his jacket around Kairi's shoulders. "I've got Kairi and that's all that matters."

As if that was not good enough, at that moment, Ariel surfaced with Keira's limp form in hand. Riku climbed down the side of the ship and gently took her into his arms. "Ariel, thanks."

A huge weight felt like it had been lifted from their shoulders. "We need to seal that Keyhole," reminded King Mickey, though a relieved smile was on his face. Although Morgana had fallen, the Heartless had not. Not for the first time, they wondered if the Heartless had been acting directly on Maleficent's orders to babysit her lackeys as they had back in the Enchanted Dominion. Sora and the others joined.

"Do you think she'd be okay to do it?" asked a concerned Naminé as she chewed on her lower lip. As if to answer her question, Keira coughed roughly and her eyes fluttered open. They slowly adjusted to the surrounding figures until she realized that they were her friends. Riku gently set her down as she coughed more violently.

"You're okay," cried Melody's voice as she made her way to the front of the crowd. She knelt down and stared at the other girl. "I'm sorry." She apologized for what seemed like the millionth time.

"Hey, Melody," mumbled Keira weakly, "Stop saying sorry or I'll have to find something for you to be sorry about." Weak laughter came from the group as Melody smiled somewhat.

"I really messed up."

Keira shrugged. "We all do, Mel. But you know what you can do it about it?"

Melody shook her head. "No. What?"

"Do everything in your power to make things better. Or, at least, apologize to your mother, father, and grandfather?" she suggested with a wry smile as she hugged the towel that had been placed around her shoulders.

Melody looked up at her father. "I really am sorry. I'm _so_ sorry." A geyser of water shot up from the ocean, holding up King Triton and Ariel.

Ariel smiled. "We know, sweetheart, it's alright."

"I can make the group of you ones with the water one more time so we can get rid of this mess." King Triton gestured to the Heartless, holding up his Triton.

Tifa cast a worried glance at the girls. "Are you sure that the two of you are okay to go?"

Melody and Keira's faces immediately broke into grins. "Of course."

"Then, let's do this," declared Triton, also smiling as he reverted Sora, Kairi, Goofy, Donald, Keira, and Melody into water creatures.

**XxX**

Sora was surprised to see that the things in Ariel's grotto appeared much older since the last time he had visited, which, really, had not been so long ago. "Wow. Time really does work differently in other worlds." Ariel nodded, staring at her old things fondly.

"Mom, is that a statue of dad?" whispered Melody from beside her mother. Sure enough, the large statue of Prince Eric was still in the center of the grotto.

Ariel smiled as she embraced her daughter. "It is. It was one of my prized possessions at sixteen, and it still is; now, it's just not my favorite."

Sora glanced back at Kairi and Keira. "Let's do this." With Keira on one side of Sora and Kairi on the other, they pointed their keyblades at the shell on the wall. The keyhole shone blindingly bright as three beams of white light entered it. Outside of the grotto, Heartless let loose terrible screams as, Keira guessed, they were extinguished from the world.

"Now then," King Triton said, turning to the others. "We just have one more thing to do."

**XxX**

That night, the group spent the night in Prince Eric's castle for the purposes of recuperation. _'If there's anything that makes me glad that I'm on this journey, it would be all of the things I get to see... And all of the nice castles I get to relax in,' _thought Keira early the next morning as she dressed in one of her dresses for a 'celebration' they were going to have at sea. She had slept like a baby in the canopy bed, exhausted but, as she got ready, she could not help but remember all of the thoughts that had plagued her when she thought she was going to die.

As she exited the castle, she was greeted by the brightly shining sun, images of a grinning Nalani, smiling Quince, and a third girl appeared in her mind. _'Guys, I'm so sorry... But I'll make this right.' _She was driven from her thoughts as she saw Melody, wearing a yellow dress, pointing the Trident at the castle's wall. "Go on, Melody," urged Eric, and a beam of light exited the fork of the weapon, disintegrating the wall on the spot. Many people were gathered on the beach and in the water, people from the castle, nearby houses and, even, mermaids.

Keira's sundress was long and light blue, reaching to her knees, which she liked for the water much more than a short skirt... Even if it flowed about just the same. She grinned, thinking of the numerous things that Nalani would say if they were together, though the smile promptly disappeared as her mind forced her to be more realistic. Fortunately, Tifa spared her from the thoughts as she tapped her on the shoulder and pointed at Cloud, who was sitting on a rock. They grinned mischievously as they silently swam toward him. Quietly, Keira climbed onto the rock. "Cloud!" she shouted at the last moment possible as she jumped onto his back, forcing them both into the water. When they surfaced, Cloud pushed his hair out of his face, swimming in Tifa's direction.

"No, put me down, Cloud!" cried Tifa when he picked her up, looking to Keira, who only laughed and waved. Cloud climbed onto a taller rock deeper into the water.

"Have fun, Tifa!" she shouted as Cloud and Tifa fell back into the water. She jumped when she felt a tap on her arm, thinking that Cloud had, somehow, magically gotten behind her. Much to her relief, it was only Melody.

Clenched in the girl's hand was a starfish keychain. "Mom says that you guys have to leave. But, let's promise to always be friends," she dropped the starfish into Keira's open hand. "It's for your keyblade, don't forget about me," she added with a grin.

Keira smiled back. "Oh, I won't be forgetting about you anytime soon, Mel. How could I forget the girl that nearly cost me my life multiple times?" she joked before hugging her. Melody was suddenly called away by an attractive-looking merman, the one from the city. Blushing, Melody looked at the boy with hesitance. "Oh, go on! Go ahead! Be brave! If you can brave Morgana, you can do anything." Melody immediately grinned, nodded, and jumped into the water to join the boy, who seemed surprised at her human appearance.

When her shoulder was tapped yet again, Keira was sure, this time, it would be Cloud getting his revenge. Once again, it was not Cloud. Kairi, still in her pink dress, sat beside her, dangling her feet off of the rock and into the water. "You already seem to be back to normal."

"Yeah, well, no use in dwelling, right?" answered Keira, a faint blush on her cheeks as she recalled how, not too long ago, she had been doing just that. "I heard about you and Sora, congrats! Riku has been complaining about the two of you forever, but he seems pretty pleased now, though." Kairi was wearing a wry grin that did not seem to fit what Keira had just said, and she called her on this, asking, "What are you grinning like that for?"

"It's just about Riku," she answered, still grinning. It was a grin that Keira easily recognized, for her cousins seemed to wear it all the time; it meant that Kairi was about to tease her something awful. "I wonder if he feels something for you." The grin faded as her face became more serious. "After Morgana knocked you into the water, he was worried; we all were."

Keira could feel her face turning increasingly redder. "That's normal. You're my friends, of course he was worried, too."

Kairi's smirk returned. "Yeah, maybe," she agreed though it was obvious that she did not believe it.

Keira decided to change the subject in favor of not looking like a radish. "So, are you going to miss being a mermaid?"

"Yes," groaned Kairi, staring at her purple shoes with longing, "You?"

"I would not be upset if I didn't step foot in the ocean for a few years," she grumbled, causing Kairi to laugh.

**XxX**

Ariel was no longer a mermaid, though her father had offered her and Melody the opportunity to remain as such. Both declined but, he said, they could change their minds from day to day if they wanted. With her husband, daughter and fluffy white and grey dog named Max by her side, she stood on the beach before Sora and the others. "Thank you all for your help."

"It was great to see you guys. And it was good to meet you, Melody," added Sora.

Melody inclined her head a little, "Same here."

"Sora, Kairi, I have something for both of you, hold out your hands." Ariel instructed, dropping keychains into their open hands. Kairi's keychain was a beautiful, pink underwater flower. **(A/n: If you look at the original VCR cover of the Little Mermaid, Kairi's keychain is the flower that Ariel is wearing in her hair.)** "I found it in the courtyard by the castle in Atlantica, and I thought you would like it." Kairi attached it, and the same pink flowers covered the blade, aside from the center, where there was a red starfish.

In Sora's hand was a small version of Atlantica's castle. He, too, attached it and the metal became gold, shark teeth making up the teeth of the blade, sand in the middle with a few music notes. Beneath the hilt were small pictures of young Ariel, Flounder, and Sebastian. Near the bottom was a picture of the Trident. Kairi and Sora made sure to properly thank Ariel as Keira finally attached her own keychain, causing Shadow Heart to disappear as it was replaced by pink metal. The teeth of the blade were formed by the fins of a red mermaid's tail with small, icy hearts lining the rest of the blade. made out of ice.

Keira grinned. "This won't be the last time we see each other, count on it!"

* * *

**A/N: A/n: **6.13.11 – **I actually decided to expand this much more than I originally did because 1) it was short and 2) the setting was perfect to add details.**

Old note: **Alright! Goodbye Ariel and Melody. Next world I think we'll go to somewhere with a Beauty and a Beast. Hm, wonder where it could be :O Amyway, did you know how hard it is to come up with new keyblades? xD This will probably be updated next weekend! See you all then.**


	17. All we can do

**A/N: **6.13.11: **Unfortunately, it's pretty hard to expand this chapter, so all I really did was fix the errors. I also expanded a bit of the boys' conversation with Beast because, I realize, they were never really introduced. Oops.**

Old:**No one here at home understands why this is wrong, so I am going to try with you guys. Please tell me that it is terribly wrong for the temperature to be 95º in the spring. Ack, the temperature is melting my braiiiiin.** **Oy, this chapter should've been done forever ago, I'm so sorry!**

* * *

After Ariel and her family left them, Sora and the others remained on the beach as they attempted to come up with a plan. King Mickey paced before them for a while before finally stopping and turning toward the wielders. "Sora, Kairi, Riku, Roxas, Naminé, and Keira," his voice had taken on such an official tone that they all stood up a little straighter. "I want you fellas to take _Highwind_; it's big enough to support you all." He turned around to face his guards and the others. "Donald, Goofy, Cloud, Tifa, and Axel, we've got to go back to the Radiant Garden to check on things." Back to Sora and company, "I want you fellas to go on to the next world and we'll see if we can meet up with you sooner or later." No one argued, and Mickey cracked a smile, "Let's say our goodbyes, fellas."

Unsurprisingly, Keira ran to Cloud and Tifa right away. "It's gonna be weird being separated from you for more than an hour," she admitted to him.

He ruffled her hair, still salty from the numerous times he pushed her into the ocean. "Be on your guard at all times." When the corners of his mouth turned up, she could tell that he was thinking about the time she hurled Shadow Heart into a tree and then attempted to climb said tree.

She blushed a little, and assured him, "I will be."

Tifa hugged her. "Take care of yourself."

Her blush faded, and she flashed the two of them a brilliant, playful smile. "Contrary to normal belief, I _do_ have it in me to take care of myself."

"Watch yourselves, fellas!" called King Mickey as they boarded _Highwind_.

Sora waved. "We will, Your Majesty." Riku was already sitting at the artillery controller, smirking. "What?"

"I named this ship," he stated, Keira looked to Kairi with confusion.

Kairi leaned into her ear. "He's trying to annoy Sora and point out that he should be the one piloting."

Sora waved him off, "Right, right. You do realize that you only won by cheating, right?"

"What do you mean?" asked Riku with feigned hurt; Kairi barely hid her giggle.

Sora stared him down. "How come you knew to jump over specific parts of that bridge?"

Riku managed a weak shrug. "Luck? Guesswork?"

"Cheating," insisted Sora.

"Fine," said Riku, the grin returning, "We'll settle it when we get home, alright?" He snapped, suddenly remembering something, "Right. Sora, you still need to get into a dress. I won, remember?"

Keira raised her eyebrows. "Why do I always miss out on the good stuff?"

Sora collapsed into the pilot's chair. "How about I fly the ship and try my hardest to make sure you aren't catapulted out?"

"Ah, fair enough," agreed Riku, still grinning, as the ship began to lift off; everyone else laughed.

Sometime after that, Sora announced, "We're almost to another world, wow that was fast."

Kairi stood behind him, "Which world?"

"Uh," Sora messed around with a few buttons, "Beast's Castle."

"Belle lives there too, right?"

Sora nodded, a frown slowly appearing on his face as mind returned to Aurora, "Yeah. I hope that they're both okay."

Keira strolled over to the two of them casually. "I wouldn't worry about Beast, Sora. From what you told me, it seems like he can hold the fort for a while."

"You're probably right." He agreed only half-heartedly.

Kairi looked around as if she had just remembered something. "Where are Naminé and Roxas?" A few minutes of silence passed until they all burst out laughing from the answer that no one would speak.

**XxX**

As it had been the last few times Sora dropped into the area, Beast's castle was dark and it looked empty. "Is this... really where Belle lives?" asked Kairi as they entered the foyer of the castle. Unlike the other castles they had visited, this one had a very gothic feel, something that was helped along by it being night.

Sora cupped his hands around his mouth as they entered deeper into the castle, "Beast, Belle!"

"Sora!" A delightfully surprised voice of a woman called from somewhere above them. Descending the East Wing's staircase was a lovely-looking woman with slightly pink cheeks, her lustrous brown hair pulled up into a ponytail. She appeared to be very well dressed, and she clutched the skirt of her yellow ball gown as she reached the landing.

Sora immediately knew what was going on and rubbed the back of his head in a sheepish manner. "You and Beast aren't having a dance tonight, are you?"

"We are," answered Belle, beaming, not noticing Sora's obvious discomfort.

Sora mumbled disdainfully, "Ah, Beast will kill me if he knows that, once again, I've come back at this time."

Belle did not argue with him, and gazed at the group with a thoughtful expression. "I have an idea. You have enough people to join us, so why don't you?" Naminé, Kairi, and Keira perked up at this idea; there had been so much drama and battles that the girls would be relieved to have a fun night.

Kairi's eyes went quite wide. "Ooh, can we, Sora?" she pleaded, "Please?" Her eyes were sad and she was pouting. Said Keyblade master scratched the back of his head.

Sora scratched the back of his head, unsure. "But... Well-" Kairi began to pout as Naminé and Keira joined her in begging; it became quite clear that he wasn't going to win.. "What's there to lose?"

Roxas and Riku groaned. "I _hate_ dancing."

"I'll take these three up to my room to get them ready." Belle surveyed the three boys, "You three wait for Beast and tell him the plan, that way he can give you some tips."

"Sure, give us the dangerous job," mumbled Roxas, and Belle laughed delicately as she gestured at the girls.

"Follow," she called as ascended the stairs, the girls in hot pursuit.

Pleased not only that they were getting their way, but also did not have to deliver the dangerous news to Beast, the girls called, "Have fun!" Sora, Riku and Roxas stared at the castle's doors with longing.

Funnily enough, the moment that the girls vanished upstairs, Beast appeared from the West Wing. "Beast, hi," called Sora nervously, knowing all too well that Beast did not exactly have a cheery disposition.

Beast only looked at them for a moment before redirecting his gaze to the east wing.. "Sora—"

"I know that tonight is your and Belle's night," acknowledged Sora. "Belle thought it would be a good idea for us to join you two." Beast stared at Sora as if fearing for Sora's sanity.

Roxas coughed. "What Sora means is we have dates, too." He glanced at Riku. "Well, two out of three, at least." Riku scowled as Beast nodded very slowly.

He sighed. "I suppose you aren't here just to... join us." Beast refrained from saying 'ruin my night'. "What is the cause?" Riku, Sora, and Roxas each stared at one another.

"Some type of war is going to start soon," began Sora in a grave voice. "Maleficent is back and she's revived the lower Nobodies. We're not sure if she revived anyone like Xaldin-" At the name, Beast uttered a low growl. "But she's definitely got something in the works, something that has to do with the Princesses of Heart-" Another growl, "And a new princess."

At this, Beast became less grouchy and more interested, "A new Princess?"

Sora rubbed the back of his head. It was not exactly easy to explain Keira... "She's a princess of 'two hearts'. We're still not exactly sure about the details, but the King is pretty positive that she's the girl who's with us, Keira."

"Yes... well, we'll just be keeping our eyes peeled tonight, I suppose," concluded Beast. The boys were very relieved that he seemed to have adjusted to their presence rather easily. "There's not much more that can be done."

Relieved by their acceptance, Sora decided it was probably a good time to introduce Roxas and Riku. In fact, Beast's hard glare at the other two (mostly focused on Riku), suggested that it should be done promptly. "Beast, this is Roxas, my... Nobody." Beast stared at him, waiting for him to explain. "I lost my heart back in Holloy Bastion," Beast nodded to show that he remembered, "and, as you know, a Nobody is formed when someone whose will is strong loses their heart. My Heartless might have only been a Shadow but my Nobody, unlike most people, is an actual person. I didn't know about him until the end of my last journey, when we rejoined."

Beast was still puzzled. "Shouldn't your Nobody... be one with you now?"

Sora nodded. "He was up until recently. Something happened in Traverse Town, and, since then, Roxas has held his own form without a problem."

"It's not normal," added Riku, "for a Nobody to be in such close proximity to his original form without fading in and out of existence. The only thing we can guess at this point is that is it has something to do with Keira and her own heart. We have another Nobody with us, Naminé, and the same thing happened to her, also because of Keira."

When Beast nodded to show his understanding, Sora decided to introduce the other girls as well. "Naminé is Kairi's Nobody, which is kind of hard to explain but... Do you remember that my friend, Kairi, had lost her heart, and it was within me?" Another nod from Beast, "When I released both of our hearts, I guess, Naminé was born from Kairi's heart, but my body." Sora knew that he had lost Beast, so he continued, "In addition to Naminé and Keira, Kairi's with us, too."

Sora was unsure of how well the Beast was listening for him, for his eyes were somewhat narrowed at Riku. "This is my other friend, Beast, my best friend, Riku. I know that you recognize him, but –"

"In Hollow Bastion, you refused to give Belle back to me," remembered Beast in a growl. "Yet you now travel with two princesses..."

"I am sorry for what I did back then," replied Riku, keeping his shoulders squared and his eyes intent to show that he was not going to be frightened. "I wasn't really myself, the darkness had gotten to me."

Beast stared at him for another moment before shrugging a little and turned back toward the east wing's staircase. Sora let out a sigh of relief and smiled a little. _'Well, he didn't try to tear apart Riku; that's a good sign.'_


	18. Return of Numer III

**A/N: I realize that the last chapter was superbly short and I am really sorry. Dx** **So who is totally excited that Pirates Three is coming out? I'm thrilled.** **This chapter took too long to get up. x.x It's because I have no ideas for this chapter, yet I'm almost finished with chapter nineteen. xDD ** **By the way, I realize at the end of KHII that Beast is turned back into Prince Adam, but for the purposes of easier fighting, the spell has not yet been broken. x3**

**Disclaimer-I only own the plot and my OC's!**

* * *

The girls introduced themselves during the short walk from the Ballroom to the east wing, where they entered a large, ornate bedroom. The balcony had a perfect view, and the full moon's light spilled inside, rendering the need for other light useless. Pushed against the right wall of the room was a canopy bed, and, adjacent from it, was a wardrobe. At first, the wielders thought it was just a regular closet and were more than a little surprised when the wardrobe opened her eyes and spoke.

"Belle," began the wardrobe in an anxious voice, "I thought that you and Master were having a special night tonight?"

Belle smiled reassuringly. "We are, don't worry, Armoire, but we have some unexpected guests." The wardrobe turned around, apparently just noticing they were not alone in the room.

"Hello." Though they were, at first, unsure of how they should react to a talking wardrobe, they decided they had seen odder things in their time.

Belle introduced them. "Armoire, this is Princess Kairi, Princess Keira, and Naminé."

"Nice to meet you, Armoire," they greeted in perfect unison.

"It's nice to meet you all as well," replied Armoire, watching the three girls lay several gowns down on Belle's bed. The wonderful thing about magic was the ability to move something like a dress from one location to the next. "So, Sora must be here, hm? At any rate, I hope you ladies have fun." With a knowing smile, the wardrobe retreated back into her corner of the room.

"You can change behind there, and I'll help you with the rest." Belle gestured to a dressing screen on another side of the room and, nodding, they grabbed their dresses and moved to change.

**XxX**

In their time of standing and waiting, Beast was becoming remarkably bitterer. "Tonight was supposed to be a special night." He, Roxas, Sora, and Riku were standing in the West Wing, having just returned from checking the dungeons for any sign of Maleficent, her lackeys, or Heartless.

Riku glanced at the Beast. "We came to warn you anyway," he reminded, "that Maleficent might come for Belle with her army of Heartless, Nobodies, and, possibly, Organization members."

Beast nodded in reply. "It's fair enough; it's not as if you've invited yourselves to stay anyway." Sora smiled at the Beast's unspoken words: _'I wouldn't have had you stay.'_ "It's useful that you're here, so if that witch comes, there will be more to fight against her."

**XxX**

The girls had to admit to themselves that they looked quite good as they stared at their reflections in Belle's floor length mirror, all quite pleased with the dresses Flora, Fauna and Merryweather had made for them. Kairi's dress was quite fitting for her, a strapless pink ball gown with heart-shaped rhinestones flowing down the left side of the skirt. Belle tied the magenta ribbon behind her back as Kairi gazed at the magenta heart on the chest. Keira's strapless dress was certainly interesting and also fit her quite well. It was completely black with a red ribbon stretching down the chest and crossing with another red ribbon that tied around her back. Hers was a little heavier than Kairi's for it had a second layer of veil-like material over the silk skirt. Naminé's silky white evening gown was much more practical than the other two. Like the other two dresses, hers flowed outward at the hips, though not nearly as much as Kairi's. The skirt had diamoned-shaped star rhinestones running down the left and right sides. For once, she wore a necklace, a sparkly white collar.

"I'm so glad that the faeries made us extra clothing, and these dresses," remarked Kairi as she grinned at her reflection.

"They're beautiful," agreed Belle. "Now, do you three want me to do your hair for you?"

Kairi fetched her brown pouch off of the bed and pulled out a pair of pink chopsticks. "Can you put my hair into a bun with these?"

'_How practical!' _thought Keira as she gazed at her long hair with disdain, _'Anything to put my hair back probably would have been a good idea; I should have gotten something back at the Radiant Garden...' _

Belle took the chopsticks into her hand and smiled. "I'll see what I can do."

**XxX**

About a half an hour later found Riku, Roxas, Sora, and Beast back in front of the ballroom doors with the only one looking appropriate for the night being Beast in his formal outfit. Roxas was just about ready to mutter something about how long it took girls to get ready when Belle descended the staircase, his jaw dropping as Naminé followed. Sora had about the same reaction at the sight of Kairi. Even Riku stared in surprise at Keira, though he had enough self-restraint to only allow his eyes to widen.

Beast moved to the front of the group, holding out his hand to Belle as she met him at the door. She gladly took his hand and they entered the ballroom first. Roxas, although he was still in some shock, quickly did the same with Naminé, then Sora with Kairi, who giggled at him. "You're such a gentleman." She grinned, if not a little teasingly, as they entered the golden ball room. Riku followed the others' actions, only his movements were much more fluid than Sora and Roxas.

He smirked in a half-mocking way and bowed to Keira before drawing up to his full height and holding out his arm. Keira laughed, rolling her eyes as she took his arm; it was almost easy to forget about the events of the past week or so as they entered the gigantic, ornate room. Beast proved to be the leading example for the rest, for, what he did, the others did. They gathered in the center of the room and, despite not having music, placed their hands in the correct positions to start dancing.

"So, do you know how to dance, or should I lead?" whispered Keira with a teasing grin.

Riku snorted. "Of course I know how to dance, I'm just no good at it."

"Sure," was all Keira said with a knowing smile as Riku moved first.

All in all, it was an enjoyable night, and Keira had more fun dancing with Riku than she had expected. Of course, that could have been due to the fact that the two of them whispered things to make the other embarrassed. Whereas Sora, Roxas, Kairi and Naminé seemed to be nervous, Riku and Keira were completely comfortable. Though, admittedly, Keira's mind continuously returned to her conversation with Kairi at Eric's castle.

Though they did not detect it, they were not the only ones in the room. Quince picked up on the feelings between Riku and Keira immediately from where he jealously watched from the top of the chandelier. Of course, he tried to convince himself that the feeling was _not _jealousy, but he had a difficult time convincing himself of what it was. _'Do not get emotionally attached, my dear,'_ Maleficent had told him, _'You are to get the three princesses and bring them to me. Do _not_ screw this up.'_

_'Screw up, yeah, right.'_ Quince thought as he continued to glare below. "Well, I think they'll have fun with a blast from the past." He snapped his fingers and darkness fell over the room.

"What happened?" gasped Belle as she stared around the room, which was now lit by an eerie indigo light. Sora released Kairi's waist and summoned Fenrir. Oblivion and Bond of Flame appeared in Roxas' hands as he half-heartedly took his hands off of Naminé. Riku gently released Keira, called Way to Dawn, and took a few steps backward. He glared at the barely visible black figure upon the Chandelier.

"Show yourself!" ordered Riku as Quince nodded from above.

Quince smirked. "Well, he didn't specify who. As you wish, Riku," He snapped his fingers and disappeared into a portal while a distant roar sounded and took Quince's spot on the chandelier; its weight alone was enough to send it flying toward the ground. Beast grasped Belle's wrist and pulled her away, Sora pushed Kairi on the ground and covered her protectively, and Naminé summoned a portal that took her and Roxas a few feet away.

Keira, in her rush to summon Shadow Heart, looked up just as the Chandelier was a few feet from crashing. A few from crashing right on top of her.

Naminé gasped in horror and screwed her eyes shut. She held out her hands and concentrated. When they reopened, she was relieved to see that the chandelier had stopped along with everything and everyone except Keira, herself, and Roxas. Keira had closed her eyes and covered her head, so she was surprised when Roxas shouted, "Keira, move!" Naminé was having trouble freezing time for long periods due to the fact that she no longer seemed to be a Nobody. As ordered, she quickly ran out of the way just as time unfroze and the chandelier clattered to the floor with a large beast on top of it; it was faintly reminiscent of a large dog-type creature and it had long and flowing orange hair, its claws dangerously long and sharp.

"Belle, get out-" Beast needn't finish his sentence, for Belle was already closing the balcony's door behind her. Chain of Memories appeared in a flash of light as did Atlantica's Secret **(A/N: Kairi's Keyblade from Ariel.)**

"What _is_ that?" asked Keira, staring at the growling creature.

"Dark Thorn," answered Roxas, "A Heartless."

"Maleficent must be running out of new ideas," mused Sora.

Roxas nodded. "Unless she summoned it to take care of us and it just decided that it liked the Ball Room best."

"Can't blame it there," decided Kairi, grinning, as she raised her weapon.

Riku shot an amused look at her and her large dress. "Kairi, there's no way that you can run in that dress; you either, Keira." Both girls frowned.

"You don't mean to send us outside too, do you?" Kairi asked, glaring slightly at her childhood friend.

Riku simply nodded. "Yep, go before this thing decides to attack." Kairi and Keira looked like they very much wanted to reject the idea, but could also accept that their dresses would make it impossible to fight.

"Fine," Both girls sighed in defeat as they picked up their dresses and ran outside to join Belle.

"Ready Naminé?" Roxas asked the other blonde. She smiled and nodded, proud to, for a change, be the one who could fight.

"Definitely."

The battle started out simple enough. The Dark Thorn ran around the Ball Room and all they had to do was run after it and slash away. However, since the beast was so fast, a lot of running was involved to catch up. Although the battle started off easily, it became very hard very quick. Dark Thorn jumped upon the chandelier once again and Riku and Naminé, who mistook this as the creature was resting, were yanked back by Sora and Roxas.

"What was that for?" demanded Riku , a light glare directed at his best friend.

Sora rolled his eyes. "It's not sitting on there just for the fun of it, watch." Dark Thorn spun the chandelier around proving that had Naminé and Riku stayed there, they probably would have been unable to fight afterwards. Riku mumbled a begrudging thank you as Sora grinned and pounded his chest.

**XxX**

"I'm sorry about tonight," apologized Belle from her spot beside Keira, leaning against the balcony's railing.

Kairi was standing by the doors, watching the battle with increasing concern. "It's just a good thing that we're here. I don't think Beast would do so well against that thing by himself."

Belle sighed, "You're probably right."

At the top of the castle, looking over the three girls, was a man dressed in a black cloak. His face was concealed by the black hood, but he had several lances floating around him. "Let's see if I still have it in me." The lances pointed themselves at the balcony, as a lethal (and quite visible) amount of wind engulfed them. "Go!" Almost as fast as the speed of light, the lances assailed the balcony, hitting it with such power that the cement began to crack. The lances returned to the man in black just as he disappeared into a black portal that suspiciously resembled Naminé's.

Belle, Keira, and Kairi whirled around. The lances had hit so quickly that they hadn't been sure what caused the crack in the center of the balcony. Keira's eyebrows furrowed together and then her eyes widened. "Oh, great," she muttered, a beat too late, as the half of the balcony that she and Belle were standing upon separated from Kairi's half and hurled downward, towards the dark forest below.

Kairi's nearly flung herself over the edge in attempt to reach one of them, but she was much too late.

**XxX**

Sora and Roxas stood below the chandelier, which had flung back to the ceiling, as Dark Thorn came into sight. "Ready?" Roxas asked; Sora nodded. Both launched up toward the chandelier and latched onto it. Then, it shot down and hooked Dark Thorn, whirling around a few times before throwing the Heartless against one of the walls. Roxas felt dizzy as he jumped off of the chandelier and wobbled.

Dark Thorn became invisible and rampaged around the room, not for the first time. This time, Naminé knew what to expect. She agilely ran toward it and jumped to slash at it with Chain of Memories. Just as Riku and Sora were prepared to unleash their final move, several lances impaled the Dark Thorn, and it disappeared completely. Roxas stopped in his tracks, whirling around to find the source of the lances standing on the second floor of the room just as Kairi ran inside.

Sora met her halfway, and she doubled over, stitches in her side. "What's wrong, Kai?"

"Sora! Belle and Keira... It was terrible! Lances shot down and sliced the balcony in half!" She replied between breaths. Sora's eyes widened and he, too, looked where Roxas was looking... but there was no one there. "They probably fell into the forest."

The Beast looked both angry and fearful, "The forest?"

**XxxxxX  
-Radiant Garden-**

"Can't we come with you?" asked Denzel, arms folded across his chest as he frowned up at Tifa and Cloud. They, along with Marelene, were standing below the computer room in the area where Heartless had once been created.

Tifa shook her head. "There's no way; it's too dangerous out there. You two are safe here."

**XxxxxX**

"We better get going," suggested Roxas before turning to Naminé. "Naminé, maybe you should stay-?"

"Here?" The deep voice of a man finished. Moments after he spoke, a man dressed in a dark cloak appeared a foot or two behind Naminé.

Roxas' quickly placed himself between Naminé and the stranger as he snarled, "Xaldin!"

"Xaldin?" repeated Sora, standing in front of Kairi. Riku swore.

Xaldin let out a booming laugh as he flicked off his hood, "Riku! How nice to see you out of the darkness. And Sora, it's nice to see _you_ again." His expression turned frighteningly angry for a second, and then softened as he stared at the 'Key of Destiny,' "Thirteen, nice to see you."

"I only wish I could say the same," replied Roxas, tightening the grip on the keyblades until his knuckles turned white.

**A/N: 6.9.09: Oh, Quince, way to ruin a moment! This one was fun to edit; I had flashbacks to when I was writing this in my study hall freshman year. x3 No big edits in here, name aside.**

Old note: **Finally I have this chapter finished. I combined two chapters into one, so be happy. The short part with Radiant Garden was, yes, short, but necessary for the plot's sake. Yesh. Xaldin is back. Muahahah. Read and review and have a good Memorial Day, guys! See you next chapter.**


	19. The fight of Traitors

**A/N: ****6.9.09****: Alrighty, so, I included a new part in this chapter! It features the new Keyblade wielders working under Maleficent. They'll come up quite a bit, but I don't think I'll be mentioning their names.**

Old note: **Pirates three is awesome, go see it. x3 My internet was down, so this chapter has taken a while to get up. I ish sorry.**

**Disclaimer- Naminé: Lollipop can only take credit for Keira, the plot, the new keyblades...**

**Riku: And Quince. -chokes-**

**Quince: Just because you love-**

**Riku: Shut up. -looks at readers innocently- Ignore him and read the story.**

* * *

With a tight grip on both Oblivion and Bond of Flame, Roxas tried his hardest to stare down one of the more menacing members of Organization XIII. "So, Maleficent brought all of you back?" asked Riku, glaring at the lance wielder, momentarily resisting the urge to rip him limb from limb.

Xaldin nodded. "Oh, yes. You'd be surprised at how sweet revenge is. Or, at least, how sweet revenge _will_ be," he mused, glaring at Sora and his Nobody. Roxas bent his back slightly and threw a glance at those behind him.

"Go, find Belle and Keira, and go tell the King." He ordered before looking back at Xaldin. "Naminé and I should be able to hold him off long enough." Naminé nodded as she confidently stepped beside Roxas.

Xaldin roared with laughter, "That timid little witch? What can she manage if she succumbed to even Marluxia's orders? Number Thirteen, you are a traitor and a fool." He raised his eyebrows. "But, by all means, go after the princesses in the wolf-invested forest. I wish you luck, for when you return, I'll be awaiting you all with the dead bodies of these two fools."

"Go now," snarled Roxas as he rushed at a high speed toward the Organization member. Naminé turned around to give the small group a reassuring nod before she turned back to help Roxas.

Sora and Kairi both seemed hesitant at the idea of leaving their friends behind to fight the beast of a man. Riku put a hand on both of their shoulders. "We need to go and call the others. And then we have to go find Belle and Keira. Roxas kicked my ass, so I'm sure that he can kick Xaldin's." His words seemed to be reassuring enough, for both Sora and Kairi perked up and followed the Beast out of the ballroom.

**XxX**

_The pale white castle stood shining in the darkness as the heart-shaped moon shone down on the forgotten city like it always did. A girl casually leaned over the now opened window. Shattered glass lay below it and, outside, at the foot of the castle. For her casual manner, she was breathing awfully heavily and her eyes were wild. Her heart was pounding frantically in her chest as if it knew the danger that it was in._

_She couldn't believe it, the other princesses were-_

xxx

Keira awoke with a start. The stars were shining brightly in the night sky; she slowly sat up and found that she was laying on part of the castle and, directly below her, was a dark forest. Looking around, she also noticed the concrete and dust surrounding her body and, further above, the balcony was in ruin; half of it was gone.

Her head was buzzing as her thoughts momentarily returned to the strange dream. Though she had never seen such a castle or moon in her entire life, they both seemed awfully familiar. Why was that? Maybe, she decided, it was just a really elaborate dream. That did not explain the fear she still felt as she stood on wobbly her feet. Her brain did not accurately communicate with her body, and her feet slipped, causing her to hurl toward the forest.

**XxxxxX  
-Unknown world-**

A boy with deep black and blue-tipped hair tapped his wrists and knuckles against a table in an annoyed rhythm. "When do _we _get to do something? Anything?"

Another man, appearing to be a few years older than the black-haired boy, chuckled. "When you prove that you're capable of doing shit on your own."

A girl with silver-white hair and brown eyes, an odd combination, thought the man, scowled. "Quince is obviously incapable of doing anything and everything, yet he gets to go out there."

Again, the man laughed. "Yes, but he is the perfect person to go after the two-sided princess; I believe I realize this far better than anyone else."

The silverette pressed her lips into a thin line. "Maleficent barely lets us do anything at all except harass the Nobodies and, rarely, go to other worlds."

A slow and obviously evil grin appeared on the man's face. "Yes, well, just remember that you listen to _me _and not her. Stick with me and you'll be fine."

**XxxxxX  
-Beast's Castle-**

"How are you planning to reach them?" growled Beast as he and the keyblade wielders beamed back up to _Highwind_ in order to call those at Radiant Garden. Needless to say, he was anxious about going into the forest to find Belle. Sora did not answer, considering the thought.

"They'll be back at Radiant Garden by now," stated Kairi, "Try sending a transmission to there?"

He nodded and pressed a few buttons. "It's the best we've got. Sora on _Highwind_ to Radiant Garden. Can you read me? Over?"

**XxX**

Cloud was standing idly by, watching Marlene, Denzel, and Tifa standing on the lab's lower level. At least, he had been when Sora's voice called through the computer and Leon, who had been poking around the study, entered the computer room. He brushed past Cloud and pressed a few buttons. The screen illuminated with the images of Sora, Kairi, Riku with Beast in the background. "Leon here, over. What's up, guys?"

"We've got a few problems here, Leon," replied Sora. "If Maleficent hasn't revived all of the Organization members, she has gotten to at least one. Xaldin's here right now." Leon and Cloud exchanged significant looks before looking back at the screen.

"Where are the others, Sora?" asked Cloud. The snap of a door closing sounded to the right as Tifa, Marlene, and Denzel walked in.

Sora rubbed the back of his head. "That's the other part of the problem."

"What?" Both swordsmen asked in unison.

"Roxas and Naminé are fighting Xaldin as we speak," answered Riku, resulting in another rise of "_What?_"

Leon's voice was a little hesitant as he asked, "And Keira and Belle?"

"Xaldin destroyed half of the balcony," mumbled Kairi. "They were on the half that would send them into the forest." Leon and Cloud rubbed their foreheads.

Tifa's mind had been made up before Sora even answered, and she started out of the room. "Back up's on the way, guys."

"Wait just a sec!" shouted Sora; Tifa stopped instantly. "We need you guys to check around Radiant Garden for anything suspicious, including any signs of the Organization and Maleficent. Also see if Tron can tell you anything about the 'Princess of two hearts.' Can you?" The others nodded.

"Take care of yourselves," called Tifa.

"Kairi, be on your guard." Leon muttered. With a click, the screen blinked and became black. Marlene and Denzel rejoiced at the fact that Cloud and Tifa would not be leaving just yet, but the others were not so happy. The thoughts of another battle coming to Radiant Garden crossed Leon's mind.

Cloud glanced at Tifa, who still hadn't moved. "Tifa, can you go tell the others about what we just heard and tell them to keep a look out?"

Tifa nodded. "Let's go, Denzel, Marlene." She said before heading out of the computer room. Both children waved at Cloud.

"Bye, Cloud!" Marlene said, smiling before she also disappeared out of the lab. The corners of Cloud's mouth twisted upward a little as he gave a short wave to the kids.

Leon's fingers were moving a mile a second until he pressed enter. "Tron?" He called into the computer. A faraway and robotic voice replied.

"I was listening in to the conversation, naturally," promptly replied the MCP. "I've dug up one of Ansem the Wise's files; this one never even left the computer."

Leon nodded. "Hopefully Xemnas never saw it. Thanks, Tron."

"No problem, Leon. Send word when you need more assistance," replied Tron.

Again, Leon's fingers moved swiftly as he clicked to pull up a file. "Let's see here..."

_'It seems that there are more than seven princesses after all, but this one is not of light. In fact, she is more of darkness. There is supposed to be a single princess who has a heart that looks much like the ones children draw to show a broken heart. Her heart is a battle ground of light and dark. _

_The heart is surrounded by black light, but she still remains mostly pure. However, if given the right circumstances... her heart can be turned completely black in which case she would be another princess that opens the door to Kingdom Hearts._

_If her heart was used to open that door... terrible things could result. Not only that, but she would have a 0.3 chance of reclaiming her heart after that incident._

_It would be very difficult to drag her back out of the darkness once she's been pulled in._

_Incidentally, there is a world where one such girl resides. Her world lurks near Twilight Town and The World that Never Was. The people there have an alarming amount of darkness in their hearts. It's a wonder such a princess can reside in a dreary place as that._

_But I digress. There has also been ample amount of Heartless discovered there. The people there can't really see; the Heartless lurk out of their sight. But there was recently a boy that went off with a horrid green witch. The two of them know something about a prophecy with this girl, Stefa, the seven princesses, and others. However, I know nothing of it. I can only hope that they do not know the true power of this girl's heart._

"Maleficent knows," Leon murmured, "this is bad."

On the other hand, Cloud shook his head. "She only knows about the prophecy, it seems," he corrected. "Maybe she doesn't know about the real power of Keira's heart?"

Leon shook his head. "Either way..." He tapped a few more buttons. "Tron, can you protect this file with a password?"

"Of course. What'll it be?" Leon and Cloud exchanged glances.

"Hm..."

**XxxxxX**

"I think we can beam down here, Sora; it looks like a forest," said Riku from his spot at the window. Said boy nodded and tapped a few more buttons before joining Kairi and Beast at the center of the ship, as did Riku.

"We have to be very careful," growled Beast as the light engulfed them and they were beamed down into the forest below. The woods were extremely dark and eerie. It was so quiet that it seemed like a horror movie, like some monster would appear any second and eat them. "There are more things in here than Heartless and Nobodies." Sora heard Beast say from somewhere behind him. This part of the forest wasn't so dark. Above them, the full moon was shining brightly and the wind was picking up so much that Kairi crossed her arms tightly and stared down at the ground.

There were many open paths around them. Riku moved to stand beside Sora. "Where do we start?"

"How do we even find them?" asked Kairi as she stood at Sora's other side.

"Our hearts will guide us." Both Sora and Beast murmured at the exact same time.

**XxX**

A woman was busying herself beside a lake covered in the moonlight. Beside her, a younger girl appeared to be sleeping. Both were dressed in ball gowns, looking like they had come from the same place. She took her hands out of the shimmering cold water and separated her hands over the girl's face so that the water fell. Keira's eyes fluttered opened and she choked; Belle gave her a hand to help her sit up, "Belle?" she choked. "How'd we get here?"

Belle smiled kindly and laughed a little. "It wasn't easy, especially with all of the Heartless running around." She collapsed on a log.

Keira quirked an eyebrow, "You're a princess who doesn't mind getting dirty, huh?" Belle giggled again and surveyed Keira with her brown eyes.

"Look at Kairi and yourself."

Keira inclined her head, laughing a little. "You got me there." She forced herself into a standing position as she glanced around. "It's pretty here," she paused, her eyes falling on the disturbing, dead trees. "Well... the woods look kind of creepy." Belle nodded in agreement while rubbing her arm. "We're both probably covered in cuts." With her hand outstretched, Shadow Heart appeared in a flash of light. "Cure."

Green tendrils appeared around the cuts on both princesses and healed them instantly. Keira looked apologetically at Belle. "It can only heal wounds, not exhaustion."

Belle shook her head. "I'm fine, don't worry."

"I guess we should head back to the castle," Keira thought for a minute as Belle stood. "Where is the castle anyway?"

Belle looked around. "Part of the forest leads to a gate to the bridge of the castle. If we could get on the right path, then we might make it before the wolves find us."

This news did nothing to ease Keira's worry, "Wolves, Heartless, and Nobodies. Can this night get any better?" A single sound of growling came from within the woods, and was joined by several more creatures.

**XxX**

Back in the Ballroom, Roxas and Naminé were still leading an assault on Xaldin, but it seemed to be useless. The third member of the Organization seemed invincible, making both of the 'ex-Nobodies' wonder how he had been resurrected exactly, or, maybe, if they were just that weak. Xaldin laughed at the pathetic pair before him, "Being one with Sora made you soft, Number Thirteen." He mocked before disappearing into thin air.

"Shit." Roxas murmured, throwing a glance at Naminé. She had a few scratches on her, but she didn't look too bad considering who they were up against. He wiped the sweat off of his brow with the back of his hand before heading toward Naminé. The "Key of Destiny" wasn't all that surprised when Xaldin appeared behind the witch, but at the same time, he was.

Xaldin smirked at the flabbergasted expression on Roxas's face as he summoned his lances. Naminé whirled around and held Chain of Memories in a defensive position. Granted, this probably wouldn't save her from being hit, although it might have protected her from the worst of the attack. The impact of the hit sent the frail blonde flying backwards and knocked Xaldin's balance off.

"That's it." Roxas muttered, running at the Organization member with a fierce look of hate in his eyes. He swung Oblivion at the lance wielder and then he used a mixture of fire magic while bringing down Bond of Flame. Needless to say, this damaged the Nobody very much. Xaldin glared, panting and doubled over.

"We're not done here, XIII. I'll be back." He promised, a black and purple portal appearing right behind him. Wincing, Xaldin lifted himself to his full height and scurried into the portal before it disappeared in the blink of an eye. Roxas nodded and smiled triumphantly.

"That's right." He said, hardheadedly. Oblivion disappeared and, remembering Naminé, Roxas turned around and ran toward his girlfriend. Considering the attack that she had taken, Naminé didn't look terrible. Her scratches were now cuts and many parts of her were bleeding-especially her stomach. Roxas held out Bond of Flame.

_'Agh! I wish Sora was here. What do you feel to heal someone? Fire, power and flames... Water, tranquillity and waves... Thunder, rage and electricity... Cure...'_ Although Naminé could have been wounded worse, Roxas knew that she wouldn't last so long if he didn't think of something; He was out of potions, so there was no go there. And they were there all alone... Roxas felt tears well up in his eyes as he closed them and tried to think of something. He numbly hit the ground and cradled Naminé in his arms.

He cared about her so much... He loved her a helluva lot... The tip of Bond of Flame began to glow; Roxas opened up his eyes in realization. If you thought of someone that you loved, or if you really cared about that person, that was how cure could be cast. Of course! Roxas supported the blonde witch with one arm while he used the other to cast cure. A yellow flower appeared above Naminé and green tendrils grasped her wounds, healing them gently.

**XxxxxX**

"Roxas and Naminé are fighting Xaldin by themselves?" Yuffie repeated, tilting her head; Tifa had just finished delivering Sora's message. Though she not met him, she had heard enough about Xaldin to know that he was not exactly an easy enemy. She, Aerith, Tifa, and Axel were sitting in Merlin's house near the computer.

Tifa nodded, "Yeah. I think it sounds like they need help over there, but Sora doesn't want us to come. He wants us to check things out here." She shook her head, clearly not agreeing with the Keyblade Master.

"It's a good plan." Aerith piped up, "Sora doesn't want Radiant Garden to be attacked by an army of Heartless again."

"I just wish he'd let us help," mumbled Tifa in a sour voice. Axel, having heard enough, pushed off the wall he had been leaning against and headed for the door.

Aerith whirled around. "Axel, where are you going?"

"Naminé and Roxas don't stand a chance against Xaldin. That guy's always had it out for Roxas, even before he betrayed the Organization, and he just thinks that Naminé is a push over. Even if Roxas is strong, it would be too simple for Maleficent to revive any of the Organization members with their old strengths; they must be even stronger by now. Not to mention Roxas is out of practice."

Yuffie's jaw dropped open. "You're gonna go to the Castle?"

"But, Axel! Since you're no longer a Nobody... even if you can use the portals to go through the corridors of darkness, it's dangerous! The darkness can erode your heart!" pleaded Aerith.

Axel laughed. "I'm barely worried about myself. Got it memorized?" Was all he responded with before a portal appeared in front of him and he walked through it without another word.

Tifa put a hand on Aerith's shoulder and smiled. "He's doing what his new heart commands him to. We can't change that."

**XxxxxX**

In order to prove the luck that they had, two packs of wolves had found Keira and Belle. After surveying the creatures' eyes, it wasn't difficult to figure out that these wolves seemed to have been turned into Heartless. "Maleficent will stop at nothing to get an army of heartless." Belle muttered, shaking her head.

"It makes it easier for her to get her hands on us now, doesn't it?" The younger girl murmured, bending down into a low battle stance. "I'll take care of them." She rushed forward with Shadow Heart over her shoulder and slashed it in front of her at the wolves. At first, she felt triumphant when she knocked away three wolves, but that quickly changed. Sharp teeth sank into one of her arms, and it was then that she realized it was one against two full packs of Heartless wolves. It also dawned upon her that they would go after Belle.

Keira flipped her body backward and did several back-handsprings until she had reached Belle, who was wielding a large stick as her weapon. Once again, Keira swung Shadow Heart in front of her. "Will that really work?" She asked, gesturing to the stick.

Belle shrugged. "It's better than nothing." Keira had to admit that she was right. About several wolves leapt at the two of them in the same breath. She quickly put herself in front of Belle and held up Shadow Heart, holding onto the hilt so tightly that her knuckles turned white as she pushed off the Heartless. Before more wolves could repeat the attack, she held out Shadow Heart and cast a few blizzard spells. She regretted it a few minutes afterward, feeling drained from the use of magic.

Belle swung the large stick at a wolf that was charging them from the side. It worked surprisingly well, and she knocked the wolf into the lake. Keira smiled weakly, "Nice." She commented, slashing at another few wolves while a few more bit and scratched at her. She hit the ground _hard_. But then, something odd happened...

The ears of every single wolf perked up and every one of them stopped dead in their tracks in order to howl. After that, they snarled a few more times and retreated back into the forest. Keira stared at the retreating tails of the wolves in disbelief and found the same bewildered look on Belle's face. "That counts as a win for us!" proclaimed Keira with pride, smiling despite her pain. Her dress was somewhat shredded thanks to the abuse of the wolves and woods itself. Belle was better off, with only a few scratches, and her dress was even in mostly good condition.

"Why don't you heal yourself?"

Keira shook her head. "Like I said, magic can't heal exhaustion. In fact, it makes you more exhausted. Healing the two of us tired me out, and using more in the battle did, too. If I use cure again, I probably won't be getting back up." She sighed, "Magic is a fickle thing."

"We better try to get to the castle before the wolves return." Belle held out a hand, and Keira gladly used it to crawl out of the mud.

"Thanks," she paused, looking for a trace of the wolves, but there was none. "I wonder why those wolves left."

"I wonder why they acted the way they did _before_ leaving," remarked Belle. Little did either of them realize that they were being closely followed by someone.

**XxX**

The sound of howling wolves finally reached Sora, Kairi, Beast, and Riku, and the promptly ran in the direction of it. A pack of gray/black wolves with amber and pupil-less eyes rushed past them, growling something fierce as they went. Sora glanced up at Riku, who nodded, as if answering a non-spoken question. "Maleficent probably made them Heartless."

Beast's concerns were elsewhere. He slashed at lower tree branches with his claws and growled, "Belle must be ahead."

Kairi placed a hand over her heart. "It's weird, but I can feel her. But she's moving away, toward the castle."

Beast growled as a shadow crossed his vision in the tree. "And they're being followed." The figure promptly disappeared into a purple and black vortex.

**XxX**

Another portal appeared inside of the castle's foyer and Axel stepped out, rubbing his head. "Maybe Aerith was right," he mumbled, walking up the staircase just as Roxas and Naminé burst out. Both looked a little worse for ware, but neither had any signs of serious physical injury. "Holy shit, _I_ was right. Xaldin beat you two to a pulp, didn't he?"

Naminé smiled softly. "It's nice to see you too, Axel."

"Right, sorry." He sighed, "At least you two are alive. Where's Xaldin?"

Roxas shrugged. "Naminé thinks he might be on grounds still, near the forest."

Naminé nodded. "Yes. Let's head toward that bridge we saw from the ship."

**XxX**

Belle and Keira paused in front of the gate, panting. The Princess of Heart pulled on the handle, but to no avail. "It's locked?" Keira growled through gritted teeth. At her words, the tip of Shadow Heart began to glow. "Haha, a _key_blade, that's right," she mumbled, red tingeing her cheeks as a light shot out from the tip of Shadow Heart and entered the lock.

Keira stroked her blade fondly as Belle tackled the normally unused gate. At the younger girl's questioning gaze, Belle's cheeks became red, too. "It gets stuck a lot; I would know." The bridge was not that long and when they reached the door to the courtyard, they were unsurprised to be faced with Heartless and two lines of Dusks.

"Tonight... is a bad night," mumbled Keira, rushing forward at the mini army. Belle nodded her agreement, she began to rush after her, but a hand covered her mouth while another seized her. For some reason, Keira felt a chill go down her spine and her blood ran cold and, uneasily, she turned around to find Xaldin holding Belle captive. "Belle!" Xaldin roared with laughter at her dumbfounded expression as a portal appeared beside him and a similarly dressed person stepped out.

The hood dropped off of his head to reveal blond hair with excited blue eyes and a kind face. "Demyx," sighed Xaldin, "Why were you, of all eleven members plus the keyblade wielders, sent here?"

Demyx smiled, revealing shiny white teeth before mock-pouting. "Aw, but Xaldy..." Demyx paused, his pout becoming quite real as he complained, "It doesn't work with your name, Xaldin; it works with everybody else's!"

An amused smile crossed Xaldin's face. "Xemy and Saïy?" Both men appeared to have momentarily forgotten Belle and Keira.

"I'll think of something later," He promised, shaking his head as his happy manner returned, "Anyway! I'm here to take the princesses for you!" Keira decided that he would be extremely cute had he not been working for the Organization.

Xaldin quirked an eyebrow, "Are you sure you can manage?" He asked, still amused.

Demyx nodded, "Definitely." He replied, his eyes finally settling on Keira for the first time. "Is she the other one?" Like a confused dog, he tilted his head at an angle. "She's a looker." Keira and Xaldin smacked their foreheads. **(A/n: Lmao.) **

"Yes, she is our special princess, almost like you are our very special Organization member." The amusement faded only a little as he said, "I'll take care of her. Take this one to Maleficent," he added, shoving Belle at Demyx.

Keira stared at the two of them, whispering, "Organization XIII, Maleficent _and_ keyblade wielders?" She thought of Aurora, briefly, and remembered all of Belle's kindness toward her. _'I can't let them take Belle.' _With that single thought in mind, she rushed forward with Shadow Heart raised. Xaldin and Demyx returned from their own world as he spotted the angry princess about ready to impale them.

Lances began to float around Xaldin. "Shit! Go, Nocturne, go!" He wasted no time in hurling the group of them at Keira with high-pressured air. Keira, unable to keep up with Xaldin's speed, heard a sickening squelching sound before she felt the pain of the lances stabbing her. The force of the attack alone knocked the wind out of her. She distantly heard Belle call her name.

Demyx began to drag the Princess of Heart into the portal. With a frown, he asked, "Aw, Xaldy, why do you have to kill a good-looking one?"

"Nocturne, I'm not allowed to kill her, remember?" The black gates in front of them burst open as Beast ran in, followed by Sora, Riku, and Kairi.

Beast snarled dangerously at Demyx, reaching out for Belle. "Belle!" He growled, reaching out. She reached out to him as well just as Demyx quickly ran into the portal, disappearing in an instant. Beast pounded the pavement and snarled so loud that all of the worlds were certain to hear his anguished cry. Sora gritted his teeth together and sent a death glare at Xaldin.

The white doors opposite of them were thrown open as Axel, Roxas, and Naminé entered the fray, swinging their weapons at the small army of Heartless and Dusks. Naminé gasped as the clouds of darkness, caused by the Shadows, disappeared. Keira had one lance stabbed into her leg, another was in her arm, and the last had barely gotten her stomach. Still, she was attempting to hold onto consciousness, enough to keep her standing, if only for the moment. Her hand reached out, just a little, in Riku's general direction. "Riku," she mumbled before her knees collapsed beneath her and she fell unconscious. Kairi immediately dropped besides her, placing her hand over the girl's heart; it was still beating strongly.

Axel and Roxas glared at Xaldin. "Two traitors for the price of one," sneered Xaldin, "Perfect." He raised his arms, and the lances hovered around him, as Roxas and Axel charged at him. A tall arena of flames surrounded the three of them, trapping them and keeping the others from interfering.

"I don't recommend flying, Xaldin." Axel smirked grimly. "Wind'll only upset the fire."

Xaldin roared with laughter, staring at the two ex-Organization members. "Thirteen and Eight; this must be a traitors' fight."

* * *

**A/N: 6.9.09: I made Demyx quite the flirt. As I mentioned before, I will not be naming the Keyblade wielders that were talking about Quince. But I will be mentioning them quite a bit. :D**

Old note: **Woohoo, the chapter was long. Yay! Any notes I need to make? Hmm. Nope. For future reference, Sora can still use Valor, Wisdom, Master, and Final forms. See you next chapter, please read and review!**


	20. Exmembers victorious

**A/N: Hello my wonderful readers. I can't believe my school year has come to a close. Finals are this week, so I should have another chapter done by Friday or next Monday.**

**Disclaimer-** **Lollipop: Xaldin, please do the disclaimer?**

**Xaldin: -glare-**

**Quince: -jumps up and down and waves his arm- I'll do it! Lollipop doesn't own Kingdom Hearts, or any of its characters, they belong to Disney and Square Enix! I belong to her, though.**

**Xaldin: As does that wretched girl.**

**Keira: -breaks out the keyblade- Come here, windy.**

* * *

It was very good that everyone who could wield a keyblade had gone to Beast's Castle as, after Xaldin ripped his lances from Keira's boy, blood began to pour out like there was no tomorrow. Thanks to the combined efforts of Riku, Kairi, Sora, and Naminé casting curaga several times, the wounds healed completely. Riku bent over Keira's unconscious form, hand lightly brushing her neck as he felt for her steady pulse, he breathed, "She's lucky."

"So," Sora began, following Naminé's gaze toward the wall of fire, "I guess that you and Roxas didn't do so well with Xaldin if he's still alive."

Naminé shook her head. "I know that he was never _that_ strong."

Kairi placed a comforting arm around her. "We'll get to the bottom of this."

"In the meantime..." Sora moved his gaze further down the bridge, where an anguished Beast was staring into the water below.

**XxX**

Axel grabbed his best friend's arm and jumped into the flames, his power shielding Roxas from being burned, and they barely missed being impaled by some lances. "It didn't have to be this way," drawled Xaldin, no doubt searching for where they were hiding. "In fact, your tricks have been well missed within the Organization; you two can come back."

"Yeah, then you'd be killed on the spot as was planned and I'd be murdered for betrayal and treason," mumbled Axel to Roxas, his voice barely carrying over the crackling of the surrounding flames. The heat of the fire was almost unbearable, but Roxas was just grateful that, this time, he was not the one pacing within the arena, waiting to be attacked. "Roxas, I'm gonna jump out and throw you at him. Ready? Set. Go!" Before Roxas made sense of what Axel had said, they sprang out of the flames and the keyblade wielder was flying toward Xaldin's back; out of instinct, he held up Oblivion and Bond of Flame and began to slash away.

It took Xaldin a remarkable amount of time to realize he was being attacked, but he quickly righted this by firing his lances. Roxas felt trapped, having just landed back on his feet, and was surprised when he wasn't impaled. His eyes reflected the flames before him, but not Xaldin and, when he looked up, he found the lance wielder hovering in the air with Axel, who was slashing with his fire-covered chakrams. Without leaving his spot, he pointed his keyblades upward as Oblivion and, especially, Bond of Flame shot flamethrowers at Xaldin. Even more fire circled Bond of Flame, increasing the amount of fire in the flamethrower.

Roxas looked down at Bond of Flame with a certain amount of appreciation. "So that's what happens when you use this thing with Axel..." He cut off the fire spell as exhaustion set in, and Axel gracefully landed before him while Xaldin hit the pavement with a thud.

"Let's finish him," said Axel without looking at Roxas as they closed in on Xaldin. They drew quite close to him with their weapons pointed close to his face. Though Xaldin's wild hair had mostly concealed his face, there was an unmistakable crease of a mad grin. Next thing the two of them knew, the wind-user was laughing.

"You think this is the end? This is far from over!" roared Xaldin, whipping his hair out of his face to reveal a downright livid, crazy expression as he stood, high pressured air protecting him. Roxas drew up to his full height and sent Axel a quick glance, noticing that even the pyromaniac appeared uneasy for a moment. In the blink of an eye, Axel disappeared from his side as he rushed at Xaldin.

_'That's not a good idea,'_ realized Roxas the second that Xaldin disappeared. Or rather, he moved so fast that it looked like he had disappeared, reappearing behind Axel and slashing him with his lances. Roxas was able to creep behind Xaldin without his noticing, raising the keyblades for a moment before slashing down at Xaldin's aero spell. Once he did that, it was remarkably easy to get at his flesh.

In the Organization member's confusion, Roxas slashed sideways and felt the contact with skin. There was an odd squirming sound as Roxas pulled his weapon away and Xaldin yelled in pain. When he pulled the keyblade closer to his face, he realized, in the gleaming of the fire, that he had used Bond of Flame, which had burned while it cut. With an inward wince, he thought, _'That _had_ to hurt.'_

Xaldin rounded on Roxas, yelling wildly. "You! You betrayed us! Just had to find out about those damned keyblades, didn't you?" Roxas wearily noted that the lances were assembling themselves like darts being aimed at a dart board and flew at him as Xaldin flung out his arms. A wave of fire burned the lances and caused them to fall, as if that had been Axel's plan the entire time.

Roxas looked at him with gratitude, to which Axel managed a grin as he sent him a look that said, 'Be ready.' Though Roxas wasn't sure what he had to be ready for, he prepared himself nonetheless. Axel lifted his arms in the air and summoned more fire, like Demyx, he could make the fire sprout from the ground like a geyser at will.

Xaldin howled with pain as the geysers of fire continuously knocked him into the air and, every time he thought he was safe to fall to the ground, he was shot up again. "I think we win this one," Axel stated, still grinning. "But, just in case..." He flung his arms at the ground, and hot ash instantly began to cover the pavement. The Nobody hit the ground in time to have his bare hands burned. "Let's go." Roxas trailed after Axel who leapt into the air and led another assault on Xaldin.

Axel landed back on the ground, leaving Roxas to finish the battle. Roxas leapt up and slashed at Xaldin, but he was met by a spear. Simultaneously, Roxas swung Oblivion and Bond of Flame on the single lance, causing Xaldin to lose his grip and allowing him to knock it away. Then Roxas swung Bond of Flame to the right with all of his power, knocking the Nobody into the flame.

The traitors were victorious.

**XxX**

Those waiting outside had lost count of how long they had been waiting for the fire wall to fall. When it finally disappeared, casting smoke high into the sky, Naminé launched herself at the exhausted Axel and Roxas standing, relief filling her every bone. "Are you two okay?" She asked without breath, her hands slightly red from her fiddling with them while she waited. Her eyes drifted to Xaldin's crumpled form for a minute before returning to Roxas and Axel. Though they nodded their agreement, they remained between her and the Nobody.

"We won," stated Roxas, though he sounded uncertain. "I think." His sentence made Naminé nervous and she too felt the need to get into a fighting stance. As if sensing this, Chain of Memories flashed into her hand. Xaldin stirred and slowly stood, very clearly alive.

"Damn him! He's not fading away," growled Axel, gripping his chakrams tightly.

Xaldin turned around to face them. "You two have gotten stronger, Axel, Roxas," he acknowledged, using their names for a change as he pulled his hood back over his head. "Axel, Roxas, Naminé," The sound of her name on his lips caused Roxas to glare quite intensely. "We will meet again, someday soon. We'll have to if those two princesses are to be retrieved." Axel released his stiffness a little bit; he acknowledged Xaldin's words as their victory, for the moment.

Then, he turned back toward Sora and the others, eyes lingering on Kairi, then the unconscious Keira. "That girl... doesn't belong with you," he grunted. "Even you must admit that she belongs with her own friends. Sooner or later, you will relinquish her."

Riku brandished Way to Dawn in a threatening manner. "We'll see about that."

"What have you done with Belle?" growled Beast, a truly ferocious look in his eyes as he joined them.

Xaldin sneered. "Wouldn't you like to know?" A portal appeared behind him, and he promptly disappeared.

Beast glared at Axel and Naminé. "You can go after him, can't you?" Nervous, she swallowed hard while Axel shook his head tiredly.

"There are many corridors into the darkness," responded Axel. "And each one causes a person's heart to rip at the seams and turn to darkness."

Keira stirred a little at all of the noise, and Kairi, Riku and Sora turned their attention back on her. Her eyes fluttered a little as she looked toward Roxas, Naminé, and Axel. "Xaldin... Is he gone?"

"He left," answered Riku, bending down beside her. "Roxas and Axel couldn't finish him off."

She managed a weak nod as she glanced off to the side, relishing in the feel of the cool ground against her cheek. "He said... What he said before he left... My friends, what did he mean...?"

Sora shook his head. "There's Quince," he pointed out. "Otherwise, I don't know."

Her fingers twitched a little in a meager attempt to clench into a fist, then, slowly, she stood up despite Kairi's protests. The familiar image of a girl with straight brown hair and a large grin flashed in her mind. _'Nalani, could it be that he was talking about you?' _She could practically hear the girl's light laughter in her ears. "Maybe, the others... are okay after all."

Riku and Sora exchanged a glance. They did not want to get her hopes up but, at the same time, they did not know what was going on. Xaldin could very well have been referring to just Quince, but used his words to manipulate them. Now was not the time to worry her about such things. "Don't worry about it right now, you need to relax," reminded Riku as he pulled her into his arms and stood.

Keira managed a smile. "Well, even if it's true, I won't be leaving you any time soon. You're my friends now, too," she assured them. "Hey, Riku, you know... You're not such a bad dancer after all." She relaxed a little, and her eyes closed once again.

* * *

**A/N: **6.13.11: **Decided to expand the final section a bit.**

Old: **It was a short chapter, but all I could finish in between studying. Not to mention I got done what I needed done. Review people! I've been happy with all of the people reviewing, thanks! Ja ne.**


	21. Roxas' Twilight Town

**A/N: **6.14.11: **As if this chapter wasn't long enough, I added to it; I added to the conversation between Riku and Keira on the beach because it will be quite relevant to the series.**

Old: **My summer vacation is finally here, hooray! Two quick notes before we begin: 1) I'm going to be out for about a week, house sitting. However, I'm allowed to use the laptop, so I may type the story from there. 2) This story is going to get increasingly cruel... you'll see why soon enough. Like I said, I am housesitting, so here I am, typing this chapter. Speaking of which, it's very long...**

**Disclaimer- I do not own Kingdom Hearts! **

* * *

Day was breaking, fast and everyone was still standing on the bridge. Sora, Kairi, Naminé, Riku, and Roxas had already sealed the castle's keyhole to ensure no more enemies would appear there, or, at least, the Heartless. "Are you sure that you want to go searching every single world that you can get to for Belle?" asked Sora in a soft voice. The sun was rising in the distance and Beast glared at Sora for his ignorance.

"Of course I'm sure! I'll do whatever it takes to find Belle, even if it takes forever."

"I understand," he mumbled knowing that if he was in Beast's position and Kairi had been taken, he would not give up until he had found her.

_Highwind _roared as it landed beside the bridge; Axel and Roxas had been sent to retrieve it as well as take Keira up to rest. "Good luck, Beast."

"Thank you, Kairi." His voice was significantly different than it had been when he spoke with Sora just a moment earlier. He was showing much gratitude, and this surprised Sora given the current situation.

Riku waved a little as he climbed into the ship after Naminé. "We'll see you when our paths cross once again."

Sora waved, slowly and sadly before he and Kairi also climbed into the ship. "Take care!" was all he said as his old friend was left alone on the bridge to watch the sun rise.

Naminé appeared downcast as she sat down, smoothing down her ripped evening gown. "That was sad." The melancholy feeling was contagious within the ship, and Axel and Roxas were still regretting that they hadn't killed Xaldin. Silence engulfed the ship until Naminé suggested, "Kairi, we should change back into our regular clothes."

Once they were gone, Axel broke the silence next. "Seeing as how I'm not very willing to use a portal at the moment," he yawned, "And you seem to need my help anyway, I think I'll be sticking around for a while longer."

Roxas nodded, managing a yawn himself as Sora nodded. "Fine by me."

"Perfect." Axel stood and disappeared through the ship's doors.

Riku glanced toward Sora, who was gripping the wheel quite tightly, his mind on the fact that he had allowed another Princess of Heart to be kidnapped. "Where should we go next, Sora?" Roxas appeared to be anxious, a feeling that was immediately picked up by his other.

"What is it, Roxas?"

Sheepishly, Roxas mumbled, "I was kind of hoping that we could stop in the alternate Twilight Town?"

Much to his surprise, Sora grinned. "I was starting to wonder when you'd make that request. Sure, why not?"

The girls returned in time for the conversation, and Kairi asked, "What about Keira?" She asked. Sora sighed, _'I'd forgotten about that...'_

"You two have friends in Twilight Town, right?" Riku asked of Sora and Kairi. Both nodded. "Keira and I can stay in that Twilight Town until you get back. I'm in no rush to go back to the other Twilight Town."

"That's a great idea, Riku!" Sora said in a voice that suggested Riku didn't get those often. "I'm sure Hayner, Pence, and Olette wouldn't mind if you two stayed in the Usual Spot until we get back."

Roxas yawned again, though there was a smile on his face. "Awesome."

Sora pressed a few buttons on the keyboard before standing. "Twilight Town's still a little bit away, and we could use some rest, so let's get some sleep; I put the ship on Auto Pilot."

Kairi stretched her arms and walked beside him. "You should probably contact the Radiant Garden afterwards; they'll probably want to hear what's up."

**XxX**

It was late in the afternoon in the Radiant Garden when the Committee received another transmission from the _Highwind_'s crew. Sora sat at the front of the screen with all but Keira gathered around him. Leon, Cloud, Tifa, Yuffie, and the other members of The Radiant Garden's restoration committee stood in Ansem's lab, staring expectantly at the teenagers on the screen. "What's going on, guys?" asked Yuffie with a smile.

"We're on our way to Twilight Town as we speak," answered Sora replied. They could immediately tell that something was wrong; his tone seemed hesitant.

Leon raised an eyebrow. "How did things at Beast's Castle go?" At his question, Sora became highly interested in his nails, and Kairi, who was biting her lip, answered for him.

"Badly," she admitted. "The Organization took Belle."

Cloud ran a hand through his hair, asking the next painful question, "Keira?"

It was Roxas who answered. "Xaldin attacked her with his lances. He probably meant to impale her, but she wasn't even stabbed... too badly," he added in a voice that the Committee could not hear.

"Anyway, she's okay!" Naminé quickly reassured them. "We cured her, she just needs to rest."

Tifa, who had been holding her breath, released it. "What happened to Xaldin?"

Axel and Roxas shuffled their feet uneasily. "We thought we had defeated him, and killed him," began Axel.

"But he was still well enough to summon a portal and leave," finished Roxas with the shake of his head.

"All the more proof that Organization XIII, or rather," Riku stole a glance at Axel and Roxas, "Organization XI has done something to become much stronger."

Leon nodded. "We've been checking around, but since the keyhole was resealed, there's been no sign of Heartless, Nobodies, or Organization members; we'll keep our eyes open."

There was the sound of many pairs of distant footsteps as three people entered the lab. Riku and Sora grinned as King Mickey, Goofy, and Donald pushed themselves to the front of the screen. "Your Majesty, Donald, Goofy!"

The King smiled tiredly, "Nice to see ya, too, fellas."

Goofy was frowning a little. "Gawrsh, we overheard the conversation. Hopefully things turn out better."

Sora pounded his chest and smiled, demonstrating his amazing ability to be painfully optimistic. "Don't worry about us, guys."

"Make sure to tell Hayner, Pence, and Olette that we said hi!" quacked Donald.

"Of course, I won't forget."

Kairi averted her eyes to the windows. "We should get going; I think we've reached Twilight Town."

"Take care of yourselves, guys." Leon said before the screen clicked off.

"I'm a little more comfortable knowing that Axel is with them," admitted Aerith.

Leon shook his head, smirking. "I'm just glad he's gone."

"Squall!" Yuffie, Aerith, and Tifa scolded.

**XxX**

Sora was programming the ship to beam them down to Twilight Town when something unexpected happened, the back door flew open. Riku's eyebrows knitted together as he whirled around to see who was there. The girl that stood before him looked ticked off, but in a very playful way.

Keira frowned, her left arm resting on her hip. "Weren't planning to leave me behind, were you?" She asked incredulously. Her voice was raspy and she looked a bit tired, but otherwise seemed fine. Naminé and Kairi both squeaked out greetings and embraced her. "I'm glad to see I was missed, at any rate, even if you were just about to leave me."

Sora managed a somewhat nervous laugh as he pushed a key and joined the group in the center of the ship. "Well, c'mon. We're going to Roxas' Twilight Town, Keira." He gestured to himself and the others, "You and Riku are staying in this Twilight Town with our friends until we get back, alright?"

"Sure, why not?" She decided as she, Naminé, and Kairi joined the others.

Kairi grinned. "Olette will like another girl being around." A white light engulfed them and beamed them down to the Back Alley. Luckily, at the same time as they landed, Hayner, Pence, and Olette were exiting the Usual Spot. Hayner jumped back at first but soon relaxed as the forms of the group materialized.

"Sora, Kairi," gasped Pence. "What're you two doing here?"

"And who are they?" demanded Hayner in a rude voice, earning himself a look from Olette. Keira glared at Hayner, and Sora grinned.

"It's nice to see you guys, too."

"You're back so soon, we're just surprised," remarked Pence.

Kairi smiled as she hugged Olette. "We know, don't worry."

"I'm glad to see you're okay after that man-" Olette cut off her sentence as her eyes fell on Axel. The man who kidnaped Kairi was standing with them! "Kairi! He's-!"

"It's okay, he's on our side," she assured her. Meanwhile, Hayner and Pence's mouth had fallen upon at the sight of Roxas.

"That's-" Hayner gaped as Roxas smiled sheepishly and rubbed the back of his head.

Sora, feeling his 'Nobody's' discomfort, spoke, "Uh, guys? Why don't we go in so I can explain everything?" The trio led the way back inside.

Sometime later, Sora had finished his explanation. "It's nice to meet you all," said Olette.

"So, Roxas is your Nobody?" asked Pence.

Roxas and Sora answered together, "Yep."

"But now we, "Naminé gestured to herself, Roxas, and Axel," Don't seem to be Nobodies anymore. It's strange." Axel had been silent for a few minutes, deep in thought.

Then, a thought so bizarre and so likely came to Axel that he had to voice it. "What if that's the other reason Maleficent wants Keira? She made Roxas and Naminé into Somebodies..."

"So maybe they think she can make the Organization into somebodies!" gasped Naminé. "That makes a lot more sense."

"Not to me," groaned Keira, rubbing her head. It seemed that the discussion of Nobodies only ever gave her a headache.

Riku also contemplated this thought. "It seems less likely that Maleficent would care to make Organization XIII members into Somebodies."

"Maybe they're just using Maleficent?" suggested Kairi suggested.

Keira pursed her lips but said nothing. _'Either way, I'm caught between Maleficent and the Organization, both of which want to use me.'_

"And she wouldn't know because the only people on her side, which we know of, that aren't Nobodies are Quince, Sephiroth, however many other keyblade wielders, and maybe Pete." He drew his attention away from the conversation and toward the very confused Hayner, Pence and Olette. "Anyway, that's not the point. Keira and Riku are going to stay here while we go to the alternate Twilight Town, is that alright?"

"Of course it is; we can show them around," answered Pence. "But, first things first, we'll all go to the mansion. I'm not sure if the transporter is still open."

Keira's worry slipped away at his words. Since Naminé, Sora and Roxas described the mansion, she had been excited to see it. "Perfect, I was afraid I wouldn't get to see any mansion."

**XxX**

The walk to the mansion took a surprisingly long time and, once they were close, the thickness of the trees in the forest made it dark and nearly impossible to navigate; impossible unless you stared at the small, but bright, patch of sky that the trees did not cover. Knowing it was probably the darkness more than anything that made the forest seem foreboding, Keira moved a little closer to Riku, who smirked and mumbled some sort of shot at her as Roxas spoke.

"When was the last time you guys came down here?"

Hayner shrugged lamely, "A while. Vivi's not down here, huh?" The creepy feeling set in even more at his words. After what seemed like hours, but was really just a few minutes, the large group stood before the mansion's closed gates.

"That's funny," mumbled Sora as he tugged on the gates though, despite his best efforts, they did not budge.

Kairi raised an eyebrow as Hayner, Pence, and Riku also began to pull on the gates, "Looks like we're being locked out."

xxx

_Roxas sprinted out of the dark forest. His heart was racing and he was panting. Axel could be hot on his tail by now and he wouldn't have a clue. That thought alone caused the boy to nervously steal a look behind him. Empty. Roxas swallowed hard and ran up to the mansion's gates; they were closed._

_Roxas panted and turned around while leaning against the black gates. Three dusks appeared out of thin air. "Don't call me and then lock me out..." The memory of the boy from his dream, Sora, using the Keyblade to unlock a keyhole came to Roxas's mind._

_The boy stepped back and held out the keyblade, repeating the gesture and successfully unlocking the mansion's gates._

xxx

Roxas surveyed the scene before him. All of the boys, excluding himself and Axel, were tugging on the gates like there was no tomorrow. Amusement crept in on him as he watched their fruitless efforts. Finally, getting enough amusement, he cleared his throat, and the attack on the gate stopped.

"What is it, Roxas?" asked Sora in an agitated voice. Roxas must've smirked, because Sora glared at the boy. "_What_?"

"Sora," Roxas sighed, "If you're planning on pulling on those gates instead of using your _keyblade_, then at least start throwing people over the wall." He finished, the smirk and his sarcasm very obvious. All of the others erupted with laughter while Sora turned crimson. Keira grinned, realizing she probably could have given him the same helpful advice as she had just used Shadow Heart for the same purpose in Beast's Castle.

"That's right." Sora promptly unlocked the gate with a beam of light, and it swung open with ease.

"How is it I learn how to open keyholes with your memory and you totally forget?" teased Roxas.

Blushing, Sora mumbled, "Shut up." Kairi, sensing Sora's distress, returned to his side and laid a kiss on his right cheek; Olette sent her a questioning glance that clearly admonished the need for girl talk at a later time.

"Don't worry about Roxas," she said with a grin as Naminé giggled and took Roxas' hand into her own.

Axel called from the door of the mansion. "Naminé! Roxas! Let's go!" The others had gone inside while Roxas and Naminé remained standing outside of the gate. Blushing, but not releasing hands, they ran to catch up.

The mansion...was in even worse condition than before. Though it had been quite torn up before, if possible, it was even more so. "It looks like someone was looking for something," noted Pence as he took in the condition of the mansion.

"They wouldn't have found anything," stated Riku in a matter-of-fact voice, "Unless they went to the other Twilight Town."

"We better hurry to the library," decided Hayner. Sora led the way, but the group quickly halted at the foot of the right staircase. Something Sora hadn't seen in a while, a particularly large Nobody wielding a claymore, stood before them.

"Should've figured as much," mumbled Axel. With the reflexes of a cat, he summoned his chakrams, and attacked the Berserker before the keyblades were even summoned. By the time Roxas was about to jump in, Axel used one last hit and destroyed the Nobody "That was easy." The others stared at him with awe.

Few Nobodies were seen after that, save for a handful of dusks and creepers. Weirder yet, the library was completely empty; empty of Nobodies _and_ absolutely all of the books in the walls. Able to tell that the room was not supposed to look that way, Keira muttered a, "Wow." Nothing bothered them as they descended into the lab.

Luckily enough, the transportation machine still appeared to be working but, nonetheless, when Sora edged over to it, Pence yelled at him to stop. "What's wrong, Pence?" Hayner asked, staring at his friend with alarm.

"Let me make sure that still leads to the other Twilight Town." He said, plopping in front of the computer. "Someone has obviously been here, so who's to say that nobody messed with the transportation machine?"

"Nobody's right," remarked Roxas under his breath. _'It probably was one of Organization XIII's Nobodies, knowing them. But what are they looking for?' _

Pence's voice dragged Roxas back to reality, asking the room at large, "Sea Salt Ice Cream was the password, right?"

Sora nodded. "I'm pretty sure, yeah." Pence retyped the password and waited a few minutes.

A few windows popped up on the screen and the computer wiz nodded. "Alright, guys, to the alternate Twilight Town you go." With a smile, he jumped off the chair.

Sora turned toward Riku and Keira. "Watch out for any Organization members, guys." With absolutely no seriousness, they mock-saluted him. "Very funny."

"Have fun, guys!" called Keira as Sora, Kairi, Naminé, Roxas, and Axel shuffled into the transportation machine.

"Be good," added Riku, smirking at Sora and Kairi, both of whom blushed profusely. The next thing they knew, the group in the machine disappeared in a flash.

Keira joined the other girl as they led the way back to the library. "Olette, what's sea salt ice cream?" They boys exchanged a glance as they followed after.

**XxX**

Roxas was the first to tumble out of the closely packed machine and onto the lab's floor. With a sad smile, he noted that everything still appeared the same. As he pushed himself off of the floor, he realized that he could remember everything quite perfectly, down to his emotions when he smashed up the corner computer.

Naminé followed next, also staring at the computer. "You were angry, weren't you?"

"Can't exactly blame me for that, can you?" The sad smile was still on his face. "But that's over and done with - for now. Let's go find Hayner, Pence, and Olette."

Sora gazed at the door leading to the library, remembering how he had been unable to get through the previous time he had been there. "I wonder if we can actually go through now since you're with us. The town was supposed to help search for you the day that you were no longer remembered, right?"

Roxas' face softened a little. "Yeah, I wonder what happened after that."

"Roxas," began Naminé in a hesitant voice. "There's a good chance that if we get out of this lab, this world may be in chaos." She dropped her eyes, suddenly very interested in her blue sandals.

Roxas nodded, reaching and grabbing her hand. "I know. I can take it."

**XxX**

Pence, looking for an excuse more than anything to get some sea salt ice cream, decided that since Keira had no idea what it was, the group should head over to the beach. It was a nice day, so the idea was not exactly bad. At his proclamation, Keira muttered something incoherent. Riku's eyebrows furrowed together as he bent down a little bit to hear her. "I've never been to the beach before." Even as she spoke, though, she could see... something. Was it herself? She saw a girl with stripes in her hair standing on a beach... Riku, who had been attempting to control himself, burst out laughing and a blush burned her cheeks.

Hayner, Pence , and Olette stared at the silver-haired boy. "What's so funny?" wondered Olette.

"Keira's never been to a beach before." He told the others while shaking the hair out of his face. Hayner and Pence also burst out laughing. Olette, on the other hand, frowned something fierce and sent a death glare at her two friends; needless to say, the two boys sobered up instantly.

"Even more of a reason to go," decided Pence, face still red from laughing.

Hayner punched him in the arm, "With what money?" They both turned toward Olette, who sighed.

"We'll pay you back!" Pence promised as he and Hayner both fixed her with puppy dog eyes.

She threw her arms into the air, "Fine, fine."

**XxX**

_Roxas ran into the library, but there was nothing important about it at all; it looked like an average personal library. Naminé was gone and he was a ghost to the remainder of the world. This sucked._

_The mysterious boy passed by a unicorn-like statue. Oddly enough, it was staring at the floor. Roxas's eyebrows knitted together as he shivered. "This place is creepy," he mumbled, moving to the center of the room where there was a table with half-drawn image._

_That was strange. Then again, nothing in this place had made sense thus far. Roxas blinked, remembering the weight in his left hand; Naminé's sketchbook was still dangling from it. The page that it was on had an image that looked awfully similar to the one on the table. Roxas decided to follow his instinct, dropping the sketchbook on the table and picking up a crayon._

_He copied the other half of the image perfectly. Without warning, the floor disappeared and he fell into a more modern looking entrance to the basement, no doubt._

xxx

Naminé dashed ahead as she noticed something lying on the floor. It had been clearly collecting dust for a while, but, at the same time, it looked as it had before. The sketchbook was opened to another drawing of Roxas and Sora and, smiling fondly; she dusted it off and stood.

Kairi stared at the sketchbook with interest. "Is that yours, Naminé? It looks almost like..."

"Me and Sora, yeah," finished Roxas. "It is."

"I have many drawnings in my room," she informed them. "Pictures of Sora's memories, Axel, Roxas, and Riku."

Kairi grinned. "Your room is here, right? I have to see it."

Axel was the only one who seemed confused. "You drew _me_?" He asked incredulously. "Why?"

Naminé giggled and gave him an innocent smile. "Like it or not, I considered you a friend back in Castle Oblivion." She told him, "Even if you were willing to kill me to get to Marluxia." Roxas gaped as did Sora and Kairi.

"You were going to do _what_?" The three repeated in horror. Axel rubbed the back of his head and laughed nervously.

"Right. Never mentioned that... And I guess Sora wouldn't remember." Axel muttered. "Heh. Well... It's hard to not want to kill Marluxia."

"I agree, but you were going to _kill_ Naminé if that's what you had to do?" demanded Roxas, calming down only a little when Naminé's hand rested on his shoulder.

She shook her head, still smiling. "He wouldn't have done it, Roxas. He would have found another way if he hadn't been interrupted." She was so confident in her own words that Roxas dropped the subject completely.

"Alright, since we're done with that... let's get going." Roxas led the way out of the library, and, they found, the second floor was still painfully dark. Naminé had always thought that the mansion needed more windows, but on the occasion that she had mentioned it to 'DiZ', he had dismissed the idea immediately. Why would a sadistic, revenge-driven man want more light in his musty mansion? The only rooms that actually _did_ receive light was Naminé's and the downstairs, via the glass doors.

Naminé led the way to her room on the other end of the floor, pleased that there were no Nobodies; pleased and _suspicious_, as she recalled the Berserker in the original Twilight Town. Since the second floor had always been empty, it was difficult to tell if anything was amiss. However, when Naminé entered her room, she knew something was off.

Although her room was in no utter disrepair (as in, the drawings had not been ripped from the walls), there were signs that someone had gotten pissed off. The various items that had been on the large table were thrown about the room, with the exception of the two drawings that seemed permanently pressed to the surface. Every item had been thrown about the room as well, even the small cabinet was lying on its side. Everything had been messed with... with the exception of the _drawings_.

This much made Naminé guess that someone had either admired her work or learned something from them. If they had learned something, then it must have ticked them off quite a bit. Naminé stood alone in the center, taking in the mess that was her room.

_DiZ was not all that much unkind to her. On the contrary, he had just treated her like a stray dog. The man wrapped in bandages led the way up the left staircase and pointed at the door. "This is your room." He simply told her. She had assumed, obviously wrongfully, that the man would show her some gratitude for putting Sora's memories together._

_Then again... she wanted to do it. On the other hand, she did kind of enjoy it at Castle Oblivion. Okay, she enjoyed __**Roxas **__and __**Axel**__, but that was hardly the point._** (A/n: Not canon; Roxas was obviously never in Castle Oblivion.)**

_Naminé entered the door and blinked at her 'room', the more appropriate term would have been prison. The entire room was __**white**__, like a room in a mental ward or hospital. She quickly whirled around, noticing that DiZ had followed her in, and fixed him with a puzzled stare; he laughed._

_"You are a witch and a Nobody. Do you really require much more than this?" He shook his head, answering his own question. "Of course you don't."_

_"What about some kindness, or a bed?" she mumbled. She felt a little less timid after the ordeal with Marluxia, but DiZ's constant laughter (that was __**always**__ directed at her) made her feel like a molecule. _

_"Do not expect so much sympathy. You are only a Nobody, you shouldn't even **be**." Was all h said before slipping out of the room. _

_Naminé turned back around, fuming. "Oh, but I bet you would hate it if I wasn't here," she grumbled. "Then what would become of Sora?" Although she still had to admit that she was doing this because she wanted to, the fact that DiZ thought of her as useless upset her. Looking around the room, Naminé vowed to do all of the drawings she could so that she could hang them up and make the room feel less empty._

_Her rhetorical question from a few minutes ago received an unexpected answer. "It's your fault that he's like this in the first place." It was the voice of a girl, which was odd because, not only were there no other girls in the house, she was also quite aware that she was alone in the room. The girl's voice was similar to hers, but had a distinct difference. At that moment, a vision of a red haired girl with violet eyes came to Naminé's mind, and she immediately began to draw._

Ah, yes, thought Naminé with an ironic smile, the memories of her first day at the mansion were most lovely. She turned around and noticed that only Roxas was standing behind her. Sora, no matter how many times he had seen the drawings in the other world, couldn't help but stare at the wall decorations. Kairi was in awe and was even more surprised that there were several pictures of her there. Then again, she _was_ Naminé's somebody. Axel was just surprised that there were any pictures of him at all.

"What do you think it means?" she mumbled in reference to her room's disrepair.

Roxas shook his head. "I'm not sure, but something tells me that if we go downstairs, we'll find more destruction."

"Mm," was all she said as she moved to the table and sat in the familiar chair. "The whole town was supposed to look for clues about the weird things that were happening on the day that no one remembered you, right?" She asked without looking at him.

He nodded, but, realizing that a nod could not be heard, spoke, "Yeah." He said in a tone that suggested he wanted to know what the girl was getting at. Ever since he had known her, she had spoken in riddles which probably had a lot to do with the two of them. Diz had never watned Naminé to tell Roxas anything directly, so she always hinted around; he smiled at the thought.

She closed her eyes for a moment before reopening them. "Do you think that they remembered you when we stopped being Nobodies or before then?"

Roxas blinked as he moved to stand beside her. Naminé was full of questions today. "Yeah..." He answered though, given she had asked two questions, it was not a true answer; he was quite confused as to what she was trying to say.

Sensing this, Naminé smiled. "Close your eyes, Roxas, and relax. Maybe then you'll understand what I'm trying to say... even I'm having trouble understanding it myself."

Though still unsure, he closed his eyes. _'This is the most suspicious place.'_

Pence had said that, hadn't he? Or something like it. Suddenly, he understood and his eyes flew open. "You think that they remembered me and came here to look?" He could barely believe it, but, at the same time, it could be likely.

Naminé smiled softly as she stared up at him. "It seems possible, doesn't it?" She muttered more to herself than Roxas. "They probably saw the pictures and assumed it was you. Hayner always had such a temper, and he cared about you a lot. In his fit of rage, he probably threw anything he could get his hands on." Roxas cracked a smile at the way she knew his friends.

"Let's go find them." He said, but it was more of a suggestion than anything else as she scooted back her chair and stood; the others seemed to have their fill of the drawings for the time being. "Are you ready?" The reply was unanimous, and they exited the room. Naminé left last, smiling sadly at her room and drawings. She had never truly expected to return here, least of all with friends. Before leaving, she crossed the room and beneath the cabinet. It took a few minutes, but she finally pulled out a drawing.

The drawing depicted Naminé and Roxas holding hands.

**XxX**

Since Riku had not been away from home for long, he had not obtained much munny, so he promised Olette that he'd pay her back later. Or, better yet, he'd make Sora pay her. His eyes drifted to Keira's form at the edge of the beach, away from them. She was standing at the shore, letting the water lick up her feet. Her eyes were glazed over and seemed distant; it was almost like she was remembering something.

Riku quietly joined her while Hayner, Pence, and Olette ran off in different directions to buy more food. Upon hearing his footsteps, she began to lick at her melting popsicle as if she had been in focus the entire time. "What's wrong?" She blinked, quite sure she had never heard him speak to hear with such kindness.

Lying seemed like a good route, so she did, "Nothing." She stuck the popsicle in her mouth in hopes that he would not ask her further questions.

Riku sighed and ran a hand through his hair. "You know, when I got home, I'd stare out at the ocean and think about things, too. I thought about being in the darkness." He paused. "But I think that you're remembering something from your past. You don't really remember much since you lost your word, right?" She only awarded him a slight nod; so slight that if he had blinked, he would have missed it.

She was unsure what made her decide to speak but realized it was, ultimately, that Riku had shared something so intimate. "I remember the beach. I think that when I was little, I went to one with my family." It took much self-control to not add, 'It was where Quince made me a necklace of shells that I still have.'

He smirked, "I knew no normal person could never see the beach." He ruffled her hair, and she responded by shoving him in the water, not that he minded too much.

"There's... something else, too." Though she really did not want to speak aloud the next part, she did. "There's... something, like a dream, maybe? I keep picturing this girl that sort of looks like me standing at the edge of a dark beach." Even as she spoke the words, she could picture the girl wearing something of an evil smile.

**XxX**

The state of Naminé's room was only a small clue that someone had been inside of the mansion. The sure sign was that the first floor of the mansion was in serious disrepair. The glass of the back door was cracked in some places and shattered in others. More rubble had fallen to the floor, statues had been broken, along with other signs that someone had been in a pissy mood.

Even when they reached the woods, they saw more signs pointing to the obvious. Branches had fallen, trees were missing layers of bark, and branches were snapped. The most suspicious thing of all occurred when they reached the wall. Roxas' eyes widened as he walked to the area where the hole used to be. "They _sealed_ it? What the _hell_?" Without warning, he summoned Bond of Flame and hacked away to no avail.

Axel yawned with boredom as he summoned his weapons. "Alright, step aside, kiddies. I can blow a hole in this wall." Roxas distantly wondered how long Axel had been waiting to do so as he moved. He took a few steps back before blazing fire at the wall and hurling a chakram at it with great speed. Apparently, the old wall hadn't been sealed well since as a gap reappeared in the same spot as it had been, only slightly bigger. Smirking with pride, he was the first to step through. Immediately, he flung out his right arm to stop Roxas. The Commons was not a pretty sight, not at all; it looked like a war had been waged there.

_"There's a good chance that if we get out of this lab, this world may be in chaos.' _Roxas recalled Naminé's words as he ducked under Axel and thoroughly entered the area. He turned back toward the others, eyes clearly saying, 'Let's go to the Usual Spot!'

Axel briefly took in his surroundings before following after Roxas, who had shot off like a bullet in the direction of the back alley. Once in the alleyway, there was not a single crack, not a trace of a fight or anything at all; it was the complete opposite of the Commons. Roxas threw back the curtain and crept into the Usual Spot; the others, however, respectively remained in the alley and tried to catch their breath.

Roxas could have cried out with relief. His friends still looked the exact same as they had before, the only difference being they looked a little more melancholy. Hayner was leaning against the wall while Pence and Olette spoke softly. At least, they had been until Roxas came in. Hayner's eyes drifted to Roxas and he immediately ran across the room. Pence's mouth dropped open and Olette smiled with relief although her eyes filled with tears as they joined Hayner.

"Roxas." Hayner stopped a few inches from his friend's face.

"You remember me?" asked Roxas mockingly. Hayner glared at him for a moment, then smirked and punched his arm.

"No shit, sherlock. It's nice to see you again, too."

They pounded their fists, and Roxas asked, "What happened to the Common? The wall? The forest? And how about the _mansion_?" He raised an eyebrow, folding his arms.

Pence decided to explain. "It was really weird, everyone in town randomly remembered you at the exact same time. Then, we," he gestured to himself and the other two, "Remembered that we were going to search the town to find out what had been going on. But by the time we remembered all of that, there was no trace of you. So, we did as we promised and searched all of Twilight Town."

"We didn't get any answers anywhere in the town, so we finally went to the mansion," continued Olette. "We never expected there would be anything there to explain where you had gone, and were about to give up when we found the white room, the same one where that girl was supposed to mysteriously appear."

""There were tons of drawings with you in them, even one of your room," said Hayner. "One of the pictures had you and another guy holding hands. For some reason, we could distantly recognize the guy."

Pence chuckled. "Hayner threw a _fit_. He messed up everything in the room besides the drawings. He wouldn't mess with the table itself, either."

"When we went to the library, we noticed how high-tech it looked. But when we tried to go into what we assumed was the basement, there was some type of barrier that stopped us," remembered Olette with a sad smile.

Pence shivered, "Which wouldn't have mattered anyway because, at that moment, we were ambushed by those white things that we saw around town in the past. They were going crazy. When we got to the first floor of the mansion, they started to attack us and attack the mansion, so we ran off and more and more of those white things followed us and destroyed everything in our path. When we got to the commons, they were still attacking stuff!"

Hayner nodded, not looking very pleased at the memory, either. "We pretty much thought that we were goners, especially when Seifer started to tell them to beat it, but then this girl in a sun dress appeared out of a black portal. Anyway, she somehow made the white things disappear. She made another portal appear but... She smiled us like she knew us, then she left. We kept hoping you'd show up like that or something, but you never did."

Roxas was quite interested with what had happened. Clearly, someone (likely the Organization) had done some damage control when Hayner and the others became aware of Roxas' existence. "Wow," he said rather lamely before adding, "That girl was Naminé."

"Did you know her, Roxas?" inquired Olette, eyebrows raised. "She was so transparent that she looked like a ghost!"

Roxas smiled a little. Naminé's words in the lab had been with a purpose; she knew that at least the Commons were in disrepair. Sometime after he had rejoined Sora, she returned to the alternate Twilight Town to save his friends. He really had to remember to thank her later. "At that time, she and I were both like ghosts. Only, she wasn't with her other half, and I was. I'll explain everything to you guys, but I'm gonna need help." They fixed him with strange stares as he ducked his head out of the curtain. "Come on in, guys, I need your help to explain."

Hayner and the others watched with odd feelings as the other group entered. For some reason, the brunette boy looked vaguely familiar, as did the red-haired girl, and even the red haired man. Naminé was very familiar, of course. "You're that girl-!" exclaimed Pence.

"It's nice to see you three again, too."

"Roxas, you and he," Olette gestured at Sora. "Look very alike."

Both boys scratched the back of their heads. "We've got a lot of explaining to do."


	22. The Challenge

**A/N: Hello, my lovely readers and reviewers. I hear that stories can be as long as you want on here, so there's a chance that this story is going to break a record. xD It's just that this is chapter 22 and we haven't covered nearly half of this story. Does that scare you? xDD Also, I'm so sorry for the delay, but I have been rather occupied. **

**Disclaimer-Kingdom Hearts is still not mine.  
**

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"So, lemme get this straight," began Hayner as he scratched his head after Sora and the others wrapped up their own stories. The explanation of Nobodies and Heartless had completely confused Hayner, Pence, and Olette. "A person can become a Heartless when they lose their heart, but Heartless are also born_ from_ the darkness in people's hearts?" Roxas, Sora, Axel, and Naminé nodded.

Pence's face was screwed up in concentration. "And Nobodies are what's left behind?"

"Naught but an empty shell," confirmed Axel.

Olette gazed sadly at Roxas, a form steadily forming on her lips. "Roxas, you were a Nobody? You _were_ always acting a little strange..."

While everyone else managed a laugh, Roxas looked at her as if she had slapped him in the face. "Thanks, Olette."

"Roxas and I were lucky, though," insisted Naminé, "Axel and the rest of Organization XIII..."

"...Were screwed, yes." Axel snorted, "Not that I could give a damn about the others fading."

Roxas half smiled. "I don't know," he mocked, "You and Larxene..."

Axel's eyes flashed dangerously. "Shut up, squirt."

Sora gazed up at the ceiling for a moment before looking back at Axel and Roxas. "Larxene? She sounds familiar," he mused, tapping his chin as he wondered how he even knew what gender Larxene was. "Just like Twilight Town did the first time I came here."

At that moment, Axel and Naminé exchanged a glance. "We told _most_ of our story, but not all," admitted Naminé. "Sora hasn't finished his story, either."

Sora turned round and fixed her with a look that questioned her sanity. "What do you mean? I've told them everything!"

"Yeah, that's all Sora's ever told me and Riku," agreed Kairi, staring at Naminé and Axel with increasing interest.

Naminé's voice was uncharacteristically sour when she spoke. "You mean, you've told all that you remember."

Axel sighed. "It's time we told you all that _we_ know. This stuff's gonna blow your mind, kid." The Usual Spot had become unusually quiet as everyone listened with interest, especially Roxas. He remembered a time when Larxene, Zexion, Marluxia, Vexen, Lexaeus, Axel, and Naminé had been absent from The World that Never Was, and then none of them had returned for a long time; one day much later, only Axel returned and refused to tell him a single thing about the other castle. Naminé hesitantly lowered herself on the arm of the couch while Axel began the story.

"After you, Goofy, and Donald found Pluto with the King's letter, you camped out in the middle of nowhere. Smart of you three, by the way," he added. "Anyway, Marluxia said a bunch of crap to you and the next thing you knew, you were walking right into the Organization's trap." He paused to shake his head at the Keyblade Master's stupidity. "How many people would follow a man wearing a black cloak into a weird looking castle?"

Sora rubbed the back of his head and smiled sheepishly. "It _does_ sound like me," he agreed. "And it does sound a little familiar, especially the name. Larxene does, too."

Axel grinned, "I guess Nobodies aren't completely similar to their Somebodies. Sora, you're pretty smart." At the comment, Roxas glared but said nothing. "Anyway, after you three entered, Marluxia told you that as soon as you stepped in the castle, you forgot every spell and ability that you know. So you, Sora, learned how to fight with cards. Donald and Goofy became cards that aided you in battle. He basically gave you all that you needed to defeat us. Yes, _us_," repeated Axel at Sora's bewildered expression. "Instead of letting that rose-loving bastard test your power, I offered to fight you. You were a terrible fighter, kid. Then again, we cheated by inventing a way to fight and forcing you into it." He grinned, reminiscing the fight with Sora.

Naminé took this pause in the story as her chance to speak. Her eyes seemed to be very interested in admiring the ceiling. "You went to the Traverse Town created from your memories and no one remembered you. It took until the end of your visit for you to find out that everyone there was really just your memory. Even though they knew your name, they didn't know you. Then, Aerith told you to beware of fake memories." Regret filled Naminé even as she spoke the words. She hated Marluxia. _Hated_. And she wasn't so happy that he was back now.

Axel quickly looked at her with a trace of concern before he turned back to face the others with a cool expression. "So you went to other worlds made from your memories and as you ascended the floors, you forgot a lot. You started to remember things that weren't there before, like-"

"You thought that I used to be on the island with you, Riku, and Kairi," interrupted Naminé, "Which was, of course, a lie. It was I who put the memory in your head in the first place." Sora and Kairi's jaws dropped.

Kairi stared at her with a mixture of pity and shock, "Naminé, why?" Instead of answering her question, Naminé put a finger to her lips; a familiar gesture to Roxas.

"Later on, you forgot Kairi completely. You put me in her place and you thought that you made me a promise. The lucky charm that Kairi gave you turned into a regular yellow star that I was supposed to have given you." Naminé smiled sadly when she finished and said no more.

Kairi immediately jumped up from her seat beside Olette. "Naminé, how could you?" Her eyes were burning and her fists were clenched. For the first time ever, she felt like knocking her other to the ground.

"Now, hold on!" Axel cried in an attempt to diffuse the hostility. "Kairi, sit down. _Sit_." He growled at her; she reluctantly obeyed Axel's command as Olette grabbed her wrist. "It wasn't Naminé's fault. Marluxia was _forcing_ her to. Got it memorized?" He sighed and scratched the back of his head. "Geez. Besides, neither of you even knew each other at that time."

"Marluxia was good at forcing people to do what he wanted," remembered Roxas with a nod.

Axel grinned, briefly, with pride. "Yeah, but I was the best at annoying him to hell. Anyway, as it goes, Vexen had made a replica of Riku and you and him were continuously meeting up with each other and beating the crap out of the other. Naminé was also manipulating his memories, so that both Sora and Replica Riku thought that they had made a promise to her. Following your defeat of him in Twilight Town, I killed him." There was absolutely no shame, the grin still on his face.

"...What?" Sora, Kairi, and Roxas stared at him with a little fear.

Axel shrugged. "One, I had to get Marluxia to trust me. And two, he almost told Sora about Roxas, couldn't have that. It would've been way too soon to lose my little buddy."

Naminé cut in once again. "After that, Axel told me to do what was right. I told Sora that his memories of me were fake, and I also told him what the Organization's true plans were."

"During which time," continued Axel, "Larxene found them and got really pissed. She pushed Naminé and made her fall unconscious which really pissed you off. Anyway, you, Donald, and Goofy killed her in a very violent way; she exploded, if I remember correctly." The memory was obviously fond for him, and he was fighting back laughter. "I went to kill Marluxia, and... we talked about this earlier, how he used Naminé as his human shield. Either way, Sora, Donald, and Goofy wound up killing him, too.

"And that's basically the rest of Sora's story. I'm sure I'm skipping out on detail, but I am only human." Axel smirked at his own joke while Roxas and Naminé groaned.

Kairi, much calmer and slightly embarrassed at her outburst, asked, "Didn't you say something about Riku being there?"

"Yep, but he remembers his time there, and if he didn't tell you, that's his call."

Naminé explained, "After Sora finished going through the floors of Castle Oblivion, I put him in a pod so that he would regain his memories."

"And that's just about where my story comes in, huh?" mumbled Roxas.

Axel nodded, resting his arm on his friend's shoulder, "A little later, but yeah."

**XxX**

Keira peered over the edge of the clock tower and staring down at the drop down to the train station with a certain degree of fear. She clutched her sea salt ice cream stick tightly, as if it would save her from falling. "Do you guys do this often?" she gasped in a way that suggested she did not find it normal at all.

"You bet!" answered Pence without shame. "We do it a lot during the summer time."

She eyed the black dots below that she supposed were people. "We're kind of... high up... don't you think?"

Hayner chuckled, grinning, "You're not afraid of heights, are you?"

"Of course not," she replied with a glare. Hayner was really harping on her nerves. "I'm just scared of slipping and breaking my neck. Then again, _that's_ not so horrible, now, is it?" She added in a sour, sarcastic voice.

Both Pence and Hayner were at a loss of words. "Alright, you win this round," mumbled Pence with reluctance.

Hayner declared, "But next round is ours!"

Olette and Riku shook their heads. "The fact that you three are now counting these as 'rounds' is making me wonder how long this is going to go on," sighed Riku.

"You're not the only one," agreed Olette under her breath.

Inside of the train station, a certain pink-haired man with a black cloak was stepping off of a train and pushing people out of his way.

**XxxxxX**

"I been sneakin' into other world's computers," Cid began to tell Leon who, aside from Merlin, was the only other person in the house. "An' I got into a security camera in that Twilight Town. One of them Organization members just got there."

"_What_?" Leon ran a hand through his hair. "We have no way to warn them."

Cid smirked. "Them damn kids there should work on that."

**XxX**

Following the end of Axel and Naminé's stories, the tension eased a little and Olette asked, "So, what now? What are you guys here for?"

Roxas grinned. "Oh, c'mon, how do you know I didn't come here to see you?"

Hayner punched his arm, "Because you're grinning like an idiot."

"We really did come here because Roxas wanted to see you three," answered Axel with a smirk. "Guess I'm not enough for him." Everyone looked at one another before laughing.

Kairi wiped tears of mirth from her eyes. "And you haven't seen any cloaked people around here lately, right?" The destruction of the mansion in this world had been clearly caused by Hayner and some Dusks, but what about the other mansion in original Twilight Town?

"We barely see anything out of the ordinary these days, but you could see if Seifer's seen anything?" suggested Pence. Hayner and Roxas groaned at the very idea.

"There's one person that I never want to see again," sighed Roxas. "But I guess we have no choice."

Hayner offered, "We'll come with." Had it been for anyone else, Olette and Pence probably would have yelled at him for, once again, volunteering them.

Roxas stared at them, "Really?"

"Of course, Roxas," agreed Olette with a kind smile.

**XxX**

Pence jumped to his feet as he finished yet another popsicle. "Let's go buy some more sea salt ice cream!"

Olette glared at him. "I'm not using anymore of my munny."

The boys immediately began to whine. "_Olette!_"

"Nope, sorry," replied Olette with a grin, clearly enjoying the pain she was putting the other two through. She was usually the one paying for everything, though, and revenge was sweet.

Riku searched his pockets for some of the munny he had managed to pick up during the journey. "I've got some munny on me. Let's go, one more round couldn't hurt."

"You're officially the coolest guy ever, Riku," decided Hayner as they pounded fists. "Hm," he paused, a thoughtful expression unusual for him on his face, "At least, you're second to me."

Olette, Pence, and Keira sighed as they started to descend the Clock Tower.

**XxX**

Roxas and the others reached the Sandlot reasonably quickly and were unsurprised to find Seifer and his crew hanging out there. With a grin, Roxas recalled winning the Struggle trophy in that exact area. "Seifer, look who it is!" exclaimed Rai, who was so surprised that he forgot to add his trademark, 'y'know?' Seifer sighed, clearly expecting Rai to be pointing out a bunny or a butterfly, as he turned around to face Hayner, Olette, Pence and the others with a cold stare. When his eyes stopped on Roxas, they widened for just a moment. Then, they narrowed back into a glare.

"Roxas, I see you've decided to crawl out of whatever hole you've been hiding in, huh?" He surveyed him with little interest. "It's been almost a year."

"That means you're a stranger to the town, y'know?" sneered Rai as Hayner got into a fighting stance.

Fuu mumbled, "Foolish." It was difficult to tell if she was talking about Rai, Roxas or Hayner.

"Cool it, Hayner," ordered Roxas, taking a few steps ahead of his friend. "How's it possible for me to be a stranger when I didn't willingly leave?"

Seifer laughed, a cold and unusual sound, "And I suppose you're going to tell us you were abducted, right?"

Roxas shrugged meekly. "Something like that."

"Alright, I won't call you a stranger to this town." Seifer stated, but Roxas knew that more was coming, "_If_ you can beat me." He looked back at Rai and nodded, and a struggle bat was thrown at Roxas. "Can you still struggle, Roxas?" He smirked at the boy's somewhat dumbfounded expression.

_'Victory is mine,' _thought Seifer with a grin.

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**A/N: Short chapter, but don't worry. I'll update sooon. :D Nice little appearances, huh? Because, let's be honest, Seifer is too awesome to be forgotten about. ** **Yeah, and don't kill me for the sucky explanation of Sora's part in Chain of Memories. I'm totally blanking out about it. xD** **See y'all next chapter!**


	23. And then there was XI & XII

**A/N: 6.20.09: I sort of had plans to edit these all in order, but I needed to look this over for something, and the errors were... atrocious, at best. xD So I fixed a lot of stuff. :3**

Old note: **Alright, this chapter is edited of all mistakes I could find plot-wise; please tell me if you see something that really annoys you so that I can fix it. This chapter was great to write. :D** **Anyway, I know that I promised this story would become cruel, but you won't see why just yet. Just... keep an eye out, ne? ;D**

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Keira had been slowly but surely following Riku (as Olette, Hayner and Pence had taken off way ahead of them) down the Clock Tower when she heard a bloodcurdling scream. And then another. More and more screams filled the air, so she turned and peered over the edge. A wave of people was rushing out of the train station as someone with, as far as Keira could tell from so high up, blood trailing behind him/her limped out. Her eyes wavered and she felt her body tense up. "R-Riku!"

At the sound of her fearful voice, he immediately turned on his heel and stopped beside her. His eyes followed the spot she was pointing at, and he saw a person with a pool of blood surrounding him/her while another trailed blood. "Holy shit," he whispered before quickly standing. "We've got to stop Hayner, Pence, and Olette." Keira whimpered at the thought of having to go any closer to the ground, but she soundlessly followed him nonetheless.

A huge tremor from somewhere below shook the tower, and she temporarily lost her balance. Riku, however, quickly grabbed onto part of the tower so that he did not stumble. She had been walking too close to the edge, and she felt her feet leave solid ground but found herself unable to react. _'How do I always get myself into these situations?' _Before her throat could close around a scream, a hand roughly, yet gently, seized both of her wrists and pulled her up with ease.

Riku shook his head at her, blowing his silvery bangs out of his eyes. "You're always going to need someone to watch you, huh?" All of the blood in Keira, that she had thought frozen from the events below, rushed to her face instantly, especially when Riku did not release her. In fact, Riku held her wrist even when they had found Hayner, Pence, and Olette. The three of them had frozen in their tracks when the screams began.

"You saw it, huh?" asked Keira quietly, Olette nodded somberly.

Riku's grip on her wrists became tighter as he said, "We're gonna check it out, but you three go back to the top of the tower."

"We are?" she squeaked.

Riku nodded. "And, we're going to jump, so I suggest you hold on tight."

"What?" She asked too late as Riku kicked off of the tower and headed straight for the roof of the train station. He landed agilely on his feet as did Keira, surprisingly enough.

"See?" He looked over at Keira with a playful smirk. "It wasn't _that_ bad.

**XxxxxX**

Roxas stared at the struggle bat with unconcealed distaste. _'I think I prefer the Keyblade over this,'_ He glanced up at Seifer and internally rolled his eyes at his rival's smugness, _'Especially since it would be easier to kill him with it.'_ Seifer stared at Roxas with disgust, seeming to pick up on the fact that Roxas was speaking to himself. Roxas quickly made up for this fact by crouching into a battle stance as he gripped the bat tightly.

Seifer laughed, as did Rai although he had no idea what he was laughing at. "You'll never beat Seifer, y'know?"

Fuu retained her stoic expression although she did say one thing, "Never."

Seifer lazily strolled over to the chalkboard and grabbed another struggle bat before he returned to his side of the 'arena'. "I don't see why you're bothering; I could beat you blindfolded."

Roxas glared daggers at the insolent boy. "Then, why don't you?" He muttered sarcastically.

Fuu moved to the center of the lot, arm held up like a flag. "Go." She said in her usual indifferent tone, bringing her arm down and stepping out of the arena quickly but not hastily. The boys rushed forward and met in the center. Even a random passerby would be able to tell that the two would like nothing better than to kill the other.

"Go Roxas!" shouted Hayner, Sora, and Axel.

Kairi and Naminé cried, "C'mon, Roxas, kick his butt!" Roxas grinned, the support of his friends boosting his confidence tenfold. Without too much of a struggle, Roxas pushed Seifer off of his bat. Seifer fell away from him and slid against the cement to prevent himself from falling.

"Hn." Seifer spun in a circle and struck at Roxas with a numerous combination of swipes. Roxas tried to hold his own against the combo, but only succeeded with the first few blows and soon found himself flying away from Seifer and hitting the pavement.

"Ouch." Roxas rubbed the back of his head before quickly jumping up and away from Seifer as the latter's bad slammed into the spot Roxas' head had been. He jumped once more so that he was behind the other boy and struck at his back.

**XxxxxX**

Riku slid off of the roof first and nimbly landed on the ground, immediately heading for the man lying in a pool of his own blood. He looked up at Riku with a sad expression. "Son, I'm going to die." He spoke softly, weakly. Although Riku's eyes did not give away his emotion, he felt himself waver at the sight of an innocent man dying.

"Who did this to you?"

"A man... he had... cherry-colored hair. H-he had a scythe..." The man muttered, gazing at the sun in the distance. Keira slowly, and uncertainly, wandered over to the two. She bit down her lip so that she did not get upset or disgusted.

The description clicked in her mind. "Cherry colored hair and a scythe, huh?" She whispered under her breath but apparently Riku had heard her. He turned his head backward ever so slightly and gazed at her.

"Do you know who he is?"

Keira nodded lightly. "Riku, he's an Organization member." The girl sadly stared at the dying man. **(A/n: Riku never actually meets Marluxia, so he wouldn't technically know what he looks like.)**"We'll make him pay, I promise."

"No _we_ won't," Riku corrected her quietly, "_I _will."

"Shut up, Riku. You will not," argued Keira. "Haven't you heard the way Axel, Roxas and even poor Naminé talk about him? You can't take him on by yourself."

The man chuckled at their, his eyes twinkling. "Ah, young love... We need more of that, in this world. Be careful, the pair of you." He mustered a weak smile before he turned his gaze back to the sun and the twinkling in his eyes slowly disappeared. Riku released the man's shoulders and closed his eyes for a minute before he drew up to his full height. Both he and Keira had light blushes on their cheeks, despite the seriousness of the situation.

Riku cleared his throat to hide his embarrassment, "Which member?" His his mind was still unable to click at the description.

"Uh..." Keira thought back to what Axel had said when he named all thirteen of the members. "Number eleven, Marluxia, the Graceful Assassin." She recited perfectly.

Riku chuckled. "Memorized it, huh? We better watch ourselves; he was the lord of Castle Oblivion. Let's go." Keira nodded confidently, feeling stronger from her vow to the man. They ran towards the sliding glass doors and were greeted by the irony smell of blood.

Despite herself, she gagged at the smell. "Geez, it's like he went on a killing rampage." Riku nodded in agreement as they ascended the steps.

They were greeted by a man in a black cloak, but he was facing in the opposite direction of them, eyes set on the trains. "As a matter of fact, you're right, Princess," agreed the man with amusement clear in his voice. He slowly turned around to reveal his face, smirking at the expressions on the their faces when they stared at his blood stained scythe. "What better way to lure the two of you here?"

Riku and Keira immediately summoned Way to Dawn and Shadow Heart. Marluxia grinned sadistically. "You've been acting like the damsel in distress so much as of late," he continued, "that I was afraid you couldn't fight."

**XxxxxX**

Roxas and Seifer had to have been fighting for at least fifteen minutes now and neither of them would give in despite the damage they had received. "How do you think the others are doing?" Kairi whispered to no one in particular.

Sora quirked an eyebrow and stared at his girlfriend quizzically. "I'm sure they're fine. Why?"

Kairi shook her head so that her hair flew around a little bit. "No reason," she said softly. "I've just... got a bad feeling. That's all."

"Mm, me too," agreed Naminé, placing a hand to her heart. Sora glanced at Axel and the other three, but they were too absorbed in the fight.

With a glance back at the girls he replied, "If there is, Riku and Keira can hold it off until we get back." Although neither girl looked reassured, they nodded grimly and drew their attention back to the fight just as Roxas was thrown backward from another one of Seifer's attacks.

"Roxas!" Naminé made to step forward, but she was stopped by Axel grabbing her shoulder.

"Calm down, I've seen that kid suffer worse blows than that." She felt blood rush to her face, and Axel chuckled. "You two really are crazy about each other."

Roxas decided to try a new method, swiping Seifer's feet from beneath him and forcing him to hit the ground face first. Grinning with triumph, Roxas shouldered the bat, and Seifer heaved himself to his feet though he dropped his weapon. Nearly a half an hour after the fight began, he was finally accepting defeat. "Alright, you win. You can come and go to the town anytime you please," he mumbled with his eyes close, as if saying the words and having to associate them with Roxas' face would be too painful.

Grinning, Roxas carelessly hurled his bat behind him to join the pile of other weapons. He turned back to the others and was instantly greeted by Naminé hugging him around the neck as they shared a delicate kiss. "Don't get so cocky, idiot." Seifer told Roxas, "I was going easy on you." With that, he turned around and joined Rai and Fuu as Rai came up with various insults for Roxas.

"Don't be such a sore loser, Seifer!" Hayner shouted, grinning like an idiot. He turned to face Roxas as Naminé disentangled herself from him, and they pounded fists.

**XxxxxX**

Marluxia's scythe was so dazzling and toy-like that it made Keira wonder how he had brutally murdered several people. Then again, she had been raised to always expect the unexpected. "Do you hate me for what I've done? Would you enjoy spilling my blood and killing me?" He asked, amused as her expression turned nasty.

"Of course," snarled Keira, the complete opposite of the whimpering girl she had been just atop the tower as her knuckles turned white from her grip on Shadow Heart.

The Nobody nodded. "Good," he laughed. "You know that you are free to hate anyone you choose; you are free to kill anyone you wish." Keira could make no sense whatsoever out of what he was saying, but it was making her heart ache for some odd reason. She winced and unconsciously put her left palm to her chest, as if to make the pain ease. At her actions, Marluxia's laughter doubled.

Riku threw her a concerned look. "Enough talk. What do you want us for?"

Marluxia grinned. "No reason. I just wanted to show you that I'm less cruel than the other members of the Organization," he stated. "Hm, besides Axel and Roxas, I suppose." This did nothing to set Riku at ease. In fact, it caused him to make the first move in their fight.

Riku ran forward with Way to Dawn at his side as he held it in a stabbing position. It was so quiet in the station that his footsteps seemed abnormally noisy. Marluxia shook his head, "Ignorant fool." He disappeared in thin air, confusing Keira, who took a few steps forward.

"Stop!" Riku spoke in such a commanding tone that she froze in mid-step. "He's still here." The smell of roses filled the station and, as rose petals fell behind Riku, Marluxia appeared and slashed at him with Graceful Dahlia. He grunted, lurching forward a few steps from the steps. By the time he turned around, Marluxia was gone again. Keira's eyebrows furrowed together as she tried to figure out the Graceful Assassin's strategy. Suddenly, an idea hit her, and she rushed forward so that she was standing back to back with Riku. She held up Shadow Heart in a defensive position just as Marluxia appeared in a shower of petals and slashed downward.

He promptly jumped back and half-grinned. "Figured it out already, hm? Well, I guess a bystander would." He shrugged meekly, an evil glint resided in his eye. Something about his words really pissed her off. In fact, she felt abnormally angry. He raised his scythe and vines began to grow out of the _cement_.

Keira's breath caught in her throat, and she heard Riku's do the same. Both shared one thought: _'W-what?'_

**XxxxxX**

"I'm sorry that we have to leave so soon," mumbled Roxas, shuffling his feet. He and the others had returned to the mansion, standing before the transporter, with Hayner, Pence and Olette across from them.

Pence managed a weak smile. "We understand, don't worry." He glanced around the lab. "Wow, we should've checked here for you."

Hayner threw a friendly punch at Roxas' arm. "Take care of yourself."

"Don't forget about us, okay?" said Olette, smiling although her eyes were filling with tears. She lunged forward and drew Roxas into a quick hug.

Roxas grinned and raised his right fist. "We'll come back. And after all of this is over, maybe we'll come live here." 'We' referring to himself, Naminé, and Axel; his 'family'.

"It was nice meeting you guys for real this time," said Naminé, her lips adorned with a small smile; Olette also embraced her.

Sora smiled. "We'll come visit," he assured them as they began to squeeze into the transporter.

"'Bye," whispered Roxas as Sora touched the beam and they disappeared.

**XxX**

"They better be here." Hayner growled as he, Pence, and Olette ran down the stairs and into the lab. All three of them were panting, having just run all the way to the mansion from the station. Pence collapsed into the seat before the computer while Hayner held onto the wall and Olette bent over so that the only support she had were her hands clutching her knees. By a great stroke of luck, Axel, Roxas, Sora, Kairi, and Naminé appeared inside of the transporter once again.

Roxas fell flat on his face again. "I hate gravity." Kairi and Naminé giggled as they stepped out of the small space with poise. Upon catching the condition that her three friends were in, Kairi's face became distorted with concern.

"Guys, what's wrong?" She asked urgently.

Olette took a few gulps of air. "Riku and Keira..." She panted. This instantly caught the attention of the group.

"What? What about them?" Sora demanded, but Olette solely shook her head as she tried to allow her breath to catch up.

"A pink haired dude was killing people at Station Heights," informed Pence.

The group exchanged looks, Kairi feeling a little smug as she remembered her feelings back in the Sandlot. "Please don't say...-"

"Was he wearing...?"

"A black cloak?" finished Axel, dreading the answer; the trio nodded.

Roxas' hands balled into fists. "Damn it." The screen in the room flicked and the Radiant Garden residents, standing in Ansem's lab, became visible.

Yuffie looked somewhat relieved. "Finally, we reached you," she murmured in an agitated voice, revealing that they must have been trying for a while.

"By the looks on your faces, I'd say that you all already know about the Organization member, huh?" Tifa asked, biting her lip. All in the room nodded gravely.

Leon asked, "Who is it?"

"Number eleven, Marluxia." Axel answered bitterly. "His code name was 'The Graceful Assassin' for a reason. I don't doubt that Larxene is too far behind, either."

"You make it sound like he's distracted." Cloud stated, speaking to the group for the first time in a while.

Sora nodded. "Yeah, Keira and Riku are holding him off."

"And, no offense to your friends or anything," Pence said, casting a look at Sora, "but they were definitely losing."

Olette chewed on her lip. "And the walk's way too far." However, Axel already had a plan. He held out his hand and a purple black portal appeared.

"You three stay here." Roxas told Hayner, Pence, and Olette. It was the only way to ensure their safety-for the time being. Hayner looked as though he wished to protest, but he reluctantly nodded with the rest.

"We'll contact you guys when we defeat him," said Kairi, her head turned toward the screen.

King Mickey nodded. "Be very careful, fellas."

Axel took one last look at the screen and grinned. "Don't worry about us." He told them before stepping into the portal.

**XxX**

"So you can summon plants, big deal." Riku chopped at the vines with ease as they climbed up his legs.

Marluxia shook his head. "My element is nature," he corrected, "But aren't you the one to talk?"

"Fira." Keira murmured, pointing the tip of Shadow Heart at the vegetation. She had taken so long to release herself that the vines were already wrapping around her thighs, but the fire freed her with ease. "Now then," she pointed her keyblade at Marluxia for emphasis. "It's two against one. What're you going to do?"

Marluxia burst into crazy, sadistic laughter. He wiped tears of mirth from his eyes. "Even if it was just me versus the two of you, I would win." he stated, tossing back his mane of pink hair. His words hooked Riku like a fish.

"What do you mean 'just me'? No one else is here." Nonetheless, Riku looked around to double-check. Marluxia chuckled and soon a woman's laugh joined his, but there was no body for her voice.

"What kind of trick are you playing?" Keira demanded, bending over as she ran at Marluxia, a big mistake. A blonde woman walked out of a purple-black portal in that same moment, and Keira ran right into her.

"No trick. Who do you think we are, Luxord?" The blonde asked sarcastically as she pushed Keira off of her. She turned her head towards Marluxia. "I still think it's funny that they revived us even though we were conspiring against the Organization," she giggled in an almost childlike fashion.

Marluxia shrugged, but he grinned nonetheless. "What does Maleficent care, anyway? She just wants us to work as her lackeys."

"Stupid her," A sadistic gleam filled her antifreeze-colored eyes. "So, Marluxia, which one do I get to play with?"

Marluxia gestured to Keira, "The princess." The other Nobody drew out her bottom lip and pulled off a very successful pout.

"But, I want _him_." She whined as she pointed at Riku. "I didn't get to play with him in Castle Oblivion."

"Now, Larxene..." Marluxia muttered, looking away from her. Her pout was irresistible despite the fact that neither of them had real feelings.

Larxene sighed in defeat. "Well, I guess it's an eye for an eye; princess for princess, at least." She shrugged her shoulders. "However you'd like to put it." Keira stared perplexedly at Larxene. "Oh, you stupid girl, I'm not really a princess, but I am the _only_ female in Organization XIII. Therefore, I would be the princess of the World That Never Was."

"Only. You forget, Larx, about... Doesn't matter. He'll be easier for me to handle, anyway," Marluxia spoke as though he was still answering Larxene's complaint. "He can't use fire to burn my poor vines."

Larxene grinned playfully and rolled her eyes. "Ah. So she has learned magic, too. Hm. That could prove problematic, but," her eyes twinkled sadistically, "There isn't a polar opposite to electricity." She said, holding out her hands (which Keira now noticed held several knives between black gloved fingers) and sent a wave of thunder at the unsuspecting girl. The electricity pulsed through Keira's body, giving her a very thorough shocking. She flew a few feet away and hit the rear of the purple train.

"Keira!" Riku shouted, but he did not dare turn around with two of the stronger Organization members facing him.

"What a shame," Larxene yawned as she walked to Keira's side, "She's not such a good toy after all. Just as expected coming from a princess," Keira winced as Larxene grabbed her by the throat, digging several of the knives into her flesh and drawing blood. Her left hand instinctively flew to Larxene's hands on her throat while she pushed the tip of Shadow Heart into Larxene's stomach.

"Watera," she muttered, sending a stream of high pressured water shooting out of the tip and causing Larxene twice as much as pain as she flew across the platform. "I'm not a toy." Keira slowly stood, blood flowing from her neck, and thanked whatever divine power that her throat hadn't made contact with the knives. Marluxia struck Riku with his scythe, but the latter was prepared and quickly parried with Way to Dawn.

Riku was completely confused when Marluxia grinned, unable to understand what was going on until it was too late. Larxene put a hand to the back of his neck, causing Riku to cringe a little at the touch. She giggled and sent a jolt of electricity into the back of his neck. **(A/N: Whether this would kill him or not in real life is neither my concern nor what happens. :D) **Riku's eyes slowly shut as he slumped sideways, his final thought being, _'They're trying to isolate Keira.'_

"Larxene," Marluxia said warningly, "You didn't kill him, right?" Larxene put on her best innocent smile as she cupped the other Nobody's face. She giggled as his face turned the same color as his hair before facing the other nuisance.

With a bored shrug, she answered cryptically, "It wasn't enough to kill him." Marluxia wondered if Riku was floating somewhere between life and death, "Now, just one more to deal with."

Marluxia placed a gloved hand on her shoulder. "We can't kill her," he reminded her.

Another shrug, "But we can come damn close. Then again, if she's the one who's going to give me a heart, I guess I should be a little grateful towards her. Hm." Larxene shrugged her shoulders again and approached Keira.

"That translates to you won't stop her from breathing. Just leave her to the brink of death." Marluxia stated, satisfied at his own intelligence when Larxene giggled again, meaning he was correct.

"We barely got to play before, so let the real game starts... now." Larxene dashed towards Keira at a speed that the latter did not even know existed. In an instant, she had stabbed two knives into the top of Keira's shirt so that she was pinned to the wall. Keira quickly struck, or more like flailed, with Shadow Heart in order to make the Nobody back down for a moment. Larxene jumped backwards but not far enough away for Keira to come up with a plan. This time around, Larxene wasted no time and quickly slashed at the princess diagonally with a knife. Then she released the other knife that pinned the girl to the wall.

Keira fell on to the pavement, feeling the pain, and familiar searing of blood as it trickled from the cut on her cheek. Before she could scramble to her feet and make an attempt to get her bearings for the second time, a gloved hand lifted her up by the throat. _'How can this fragile-looking girl pick me up with one hand like it's no problem?'_ She wondered, gasping for air. She could feel the cuts on her neck ooze with blood once more at the slight touch.

"It would kill you if I used electricity on you now and that's no fun." Larxene frowned, hurling Keira away from her and off of the platform as if she was a particularly boring doll. This time, Keira had half-expected Larxene to do this, so she was ready to do a back handspring with her left hand. Every movement seemed to cause something on Keira, and she could feel an unbelievable amount of pain pulsing from her weak wrist in waves.

"Cure," She whispered weakly, holding up Shadow Heart. Green tendrils wrapped themselves around her wounds, but couldn't heal them completely, only stop the blood from flowing any longer. She bit her lip and jumped back onto the platform, wishing that she had more magic. She crouched down beside Riku and held him up by the shoulders after resting Shadow Heart on the ground. Delicately, she placed her index and middle fingers on his neck and felt for a pulse; it came nice and steady. Sighing with relief, she set him down in order to face off against the enemy.

Marluxia appeared particularly amused by Keira's predicament. "I'll make you a deal. If you just give yourself up to us, then we won't lay another finger on the boy."

Keira became thoughtful, but only for a second, "Like I trust you," she growled, holding Shadow Heart before her.

He chuckled and snapped. "Have it your way, Princess." Several vines shot up from behind her and seized her all the way around the throat.

"No fair," she squeaked, her hand once again flying to the vines instinctively. All this got her was a nice and deep cut. She tried to swipe at the vine with her keyblade, but, since it was behind her, it was not an easy target to hit.

"Larxene, take care of him; she should fall unconscious in no time," ordered Marluxia, nodding his head at the two teenagers.

Larxene blinked. "Maleficent doesn't need him?"

"No. He helps them seal up the keyholes to each world and is nothing but a nuisance."

At Marluxia's words, Larxene grinned, "With pleasure." She cracked her knuckles, slowly drawing nearer to Riku.

Keira's eyes were starting to close and her brain felt fuzzy. _'I can't let her... Riku! I have to free myself; it's the only way.'_ She closed her eyes tightly as she focused all of her magic power on a spell. _'Regular spell is the regular name, the next highest spell has to end with an 'a', and the strongest ends with 'aga'.' _She had to remind herself several times as it was becoming increasingly difficult to focus. Shadow Heart was raised over her head, its tip pointed at the mass of vegetation holding her captive. "Firaga," her words were barely above a whisper, but the spell still worked.

A large shot of fire emitted from the tip and burned the vines to naught but ash. She did not waste time by taking a second to regain her precious air supply; instead she rushed at an unaware Larxene and knocked her to the ground. Keira was physically and mentally drained, the last bit of magic she used had taken away the last of her physical will. She had to thank goodness for will.

"Aw, you love him." Larxene cooed mockingly, "I wish I remembered how that felt." She flipped over so that she was the one on top. "You've gotten to my last nerve. Hearts or no hearts, it makes no difference to me. A heart only weakens you. You could've walked out of here without a scratch had you not fussed because your heart told you what the 'right' thing is to do." Her hand seized Keira's throat in a vice grip. "A nice jolt should do it. Well, it was nice knowing you, Princess."

One blast of fire easily knocked Larxene off of Keira and the platform.

"Whoa, get off of the minor, Larxene."

* * *

**A/N: Two chapters in one day? Whoa, not too shabby. Anyway, I had a lot a lot a lot of fun writing this chapter, and I think it shows. Haha. ** **Some implied LarXia if you couldn't tell. I love that pairing, and I also love Larxene's character, very fun to write. Hmm. Anything else I should say about this?** **Ah, yes. Don't get all grossed out by the fact that Keira would be knocked down and then rise back up; a person's heart is weird like that, I would know. Also, I kind of blanked out on Larxene&Marluxia's attacks (as if that wasn't obvious xD) but I did manage to remember which element they both had.** **Geez, I should look up some Final Mix 2+ stuff. See y'all next chapter!**


	24. The Loss of Defeat

**A/N: 6.20.09: Out of pure boredom, I decided to edit this some more. Thank you to **_**everyone**_** who has reviewed this story. You guys are wonderful.**

Old note:** Hello, guys! Guess what? My birthday is in two weeks. I am very excited. Maybe that's why I'm writing so much lately. I'm hoping to have this finished by my birthday, but I highly doubt that will happen. By the way, I don't do this often enough, so let me send a big thank you to my reviewers. Yes, there's only two of you, but the two of you are basically the only reason why I've gotten to the 24th chapter, so you two deserve big pats on the back. Thanks a lot! Oh, and if you couldn't guess who said the last line of dialogue, you need to think harder. xD**

**Disclaimer-Yep, Kingdom Hearts still belongs to Disney and Square Enix. Dx**

* * *

Axel, Sora, Kairi, Roxas, and Naminé were standing before a quickly fading purple-black portal. There was not a trace of a smile on anyone's face, not even Axel although he had delivered the witty line. Sora's eyes fell on the unconscious Riku and immediately ran to his side, ignoring Marluxia's sneering, with Kairi in hot pursuit. "Riku?" He cried, fear creeping up his back. Wait. That wasn't fear.

"Sora!" shouted Kairi; Marluxia's vines were crawling up both of them.

"Firaga!" Sora pointed the tip of his keyblade at Kairi's vines and then his own.

Roxas and Naminé joined Keira. "What happened to Riku?" Roxas muttered to her as he and Naminé pulled her to her feet.

"Too much," answered Keira, using Naminé to support her body. "Basically, Larxene and Marluxia got him."

Roxas looked over her wounds, "And you."

"Yeah, well... I used too much magic; I'm completely worn out. I still don't know how I tackled Larxene."

"Well," Naminé smiled. "It's amazing what love does to people, hm?" Her smile widened as Keira began to blush although the latter did nothing to deny it. Axel was standing before the three of them, glaring at Larxene something awful.

Larxene frowned at him. "Well if it isn't Axel. It's a shame Xemnas never knew how you betrayed us, then he might have known that you would betray the Organization."

"Well aren't we one to talk?" Axel snarled venomously.

She raised her eyebrows. "Ooh. Hostile, are we?" She teased, an awful smirk appearing on her face. Axel raised his chakrams and she sighed. "Sticking up for your friends, huh? Well, if you befriended that," she pointed her chin at Roxas, "You would befriend others like him." Her eyes swept the trio behind Axel and fell upon Naminé, a look of angry joy filling her face as she stared, "Naminé, how nice to see you. I see that your Somebodies forgave you even though you were such a horrible witch, how sweet."

Roxas growled and sprinted forward to join Axel, but Larxene didn't stop there. "That's right, _you_ betrayed the Organization, too." She shrugged her shoulders lightly. "You know, boys, it's not too late. You can join us again. Once we get our hearts back with the help of that princess," Another nod, but this time directed at Keira, "We're going to betray Maleficent and destroy her."

Axel smirked sourly, "How original of you."

Larxene returned the smile and winked. "Nobodies never change, but you three are all Somebodies now, aren't you? How nice for you." There was an exceedingly bright smile on her face and, for the life of them, they could not figure out why. Keira was the first to catch on and glanced around.

"Where's Marluxia?" The instant the words left her mouth, it was like she had uttered a magic spell; Marluxia appeared directly behind the two girls with Graceful Dahlia raised. Keira pushed Naminé out of the way as Marluxia swung his scythe. Several pink waves and petals emitted from the weapon and knocked her into Axel's prepared arms. Naminé hit the pavement with a nice thud and quickly summoned Chain of Memories.

Not yet standing, she held the keyblade before her in a protective stance. As Marluxia was en-route to attacking her, Sora's voice rang, "Thundaga!" Several bolts struck around Marluxia's body, but only one of them actually managed to hit. Sora and Kairi came around the purple train with Kairi trying her best to support Riku's unconscious body. Roxas glanced back and forth; there was a sinister Organization member on either side of them. Axel set Keira against the purple train and turned around so that he was facing Larxene.

Every muscle in Keira's body was screaming, so she was more or less glad that she had been set down. Her left wrist refused to stop pulsing with pain and she felt drained. _'Well, nothing to do but watch now.'_

"Traitor versus traitor," Marluxia mentioned, "I think that's a pretty fair fight." Instead of agreeing, Larxene threw Marluxia an agitated look which clearly said, _'We don't have the time.'_

"It was nice reuniting with you all, really, it was." Larxene said, drawing attention off of Marluxia and onto herself once again. "Except for maybe Roxas and Sora; the two of you still looked like whiny brats to me." The two glared as Sora sat Riku's unconscious form beside Keira and joined his other. Both prepared to attack the blonde, but Axel flung out an arm.

Axel narrowed his eyes. "Something just ain't right here. You were never one to start a fight. Hell, you barely ever wanted to be in a fight with your own hands."

"I think you're mistaking me for Zexion, Axel." Larxene smirked at him, "I didn't enjoy starting fights; I just enjoyed picking on all of you. And if it led to a fight, it was always worth it."

Kairi watched Axel and Larxene with interest. Tensions were getting high and it seemed to take a lot of self-control for Axel to keep himself and the two keyblade wielders from fighting with the big-mouthed woman. Something else interested the princess even more; there was a sort of crunching noise at her feet, and her legs were starting to hurt a little. Her indigo eyes tilted downwards only to find vines creeping up her legs once again. She quickly summoned Radiant Destiny and made to attack them but another set of vines wrapped quickly wrapped around her arm.

She tried to wiggle her arm free, but it was no use. The vines continued to creep down her arm and covered her keyblade; her only means of defense disappeared in a flurry of light. _'This is bad. There's only one thing to do.'_ Kairi gave into her last resort. Her mouth began to shape Sora's name, but, before she could shout, a gloved hand covered over her mouth, silencing her. Marluxia held out his free hand and opened a portal. He grinned at his success and whistled. "Let's go, Larxene. We're through here!"

All eyes fell upon Marluxia and the captured Kairi. Sora's eyes widened and his heart began to hammer against his chest. He whirled around and ran at Marluxia, prepared to do anything he had to in order to get Kairi back. "Let her go!" When he was within a foot of them, Larxene did exactly as she had done with Keira; she stepped out of a portal, and Sora ran right into her. Keira forced her body up as Roxas, Naminé, and Axel flew past her. Larxene rolled her eyes, clearly annoyed. She shot several bolts of electricity at all who had stood up although she made sure Sora's paralyzed him for a few minutes.

"Princess," she called to Keira, who was slowly drifting back to the ground. "We owe this _all _to you and your lack of strength. Au revoir!" She backed up as Marluxia dragged Kairi into the portal and disappeared after them. Keira swore and felt her face flush at the Nymph's words as she became familiar with the concrete of the concrete again.

Larxene's words awoke Riku, who stood and, spotting Sora's distraught expression, asked, "What happened?"

**XxxxxX**

"Aerith can heal us completely when we get back," came Sora's voice from outside of the Usual Spot. Inside, Pence, Hayner, and Olette had been pacing and wondering aloud about what had happened. A very injured Riku limped in first, followed by Sora, Naminé, Roxas, and Axel was carrying Keira on his back.

"This girl's really light; someone should alert Yuffie." He stated. Riku, Roxas, and Naminé all managed weak smiles. **(A/n: Because, you know, she's... tiny. /mood-lightening fail) **

"She'll be shoving pie after pie down her throat," added Riku. "That might be too traumatic for her." Sora's fists clenched as they continued to talk. He did not understand how they could speak normally when Kairi was gone. Olette, Hayner, and Pence looked at the group with relief when they entered.

Olette bit her lip. "You guys... don't look all that good," she noted in a soft voice. Sora did not ease back into his relaxed, arm-behind-the-head pose; the group sighed.

"Two Organization members kidnapped Kairi," stated Roxas with a wary glance at Sora. Olette clapped her hands over her mouth, Hayner balled his hands in fists, and Pence just stared at them dumbly.

"Is this... a joke?" he asked weakly. The reply was a collective shake of heads.

"We're going back to the Radiant Garden to rest up and see if we can get any leads," informed Roxas.

"We'll be back, though." Riku assured them as he and Sora stepped into the lime green circle that would beam them to _Highwind_. Olette opened her mouth to say something, but Pence put a hand on her shoulder and shook his head.

Hayner managed a weak smile. "We know you will."

"Take care, guys," called Olette. Riku nodded as the others joined them and a bright beam of light engulfed them. In the blink of an eye, they were gone.

**XxxxxX**

Fifteen minutes later, _Highwind_ was hovering above Merlin's house in the Radiant Garden. Roxas, who had been driving, pushed the transmission button. Riku, who had been taking care of artillery on the left side of the ship, swung around in his chair so that he was looking over Roxas' shoulder. Axel swung in his chair at the right and also peered over his friend's shoulder. Naminé entered through the back door and gave Riku a look. "Riku, you shouldn't have been doing the artillery, you should be resting." She stated with folded arms.

Riku glanced at her and chuckled. "You're acting like _Kairi_. Well, that's not such a surprise." He muttered before sighing. "Anyway, someone had to look after Keira, and if you were out here doing the weapons, no one would be watching either of us. Anyway, how's Sora?"

Naminé sighed. "He's still sulking. If you can call it sulking, I mean." She replied, shaking her head. "I tried my best, but, you know, I'm not the best one to be in there. If Sora had been captured, then Kairi wouldn't appreciate Roxas being in her face."

"Hey!" countered Roxas as his fingers glided around the keypad.

Riku tried to reason, "But you're technically Sora's Nobody." Naminé glanced at him with an annoyed expression and silently stood behind Roxas so that she could peer at the screen. A certain blond man did not seem to notice the fact that the members of _Highwind_ were staring at him. The older man flipped a page in the manual he was reading and glanced at the screen out of the corner of his eye. He took another look and fell out of his chair. The group on _Highwind _laughed.

"What the hell?" Cid muttered as he pulled himself back onto the chair and glared at the screen. Remembering the transmission from before, he controlled his temper for the moment. "What happened? Where's the kid?" The pilot added. There were several sighs.

"We lost, Cid," answered Roxas. "Marluxia got away with Kairi. Keira and Riku were badly injured and Sora's emotionally dead."

Cid's facial expression became slightly more concerned. "Where are you?" he inquired.

"Right above the house," replied Riku. "Where are the others?"

"At the marketplace. I'll round 'em up and you land." Roxas nodded as the screen turned black once again.

**XxxxxX**

A nice, cold feeling rushed through Keira's body and, when her eyes fluttered open, she wondered what had caused it. She stared up and waited for her vision of Roxas to become clear before she felt her head. It was _really_ cold. "What did you do?" She yawned, staring up at him.

He chuckled. "You don't sound very appreciative. I knew there was an ether around here somewhere, so be thankful that I gave you the last one instead of Riku." Keira barely comprehended a word he had said.

"E...ther...?" She repeated groggily.

Roxas nodded slowly, a teasing look in his eyes, "Yes, ether." He spoke slowly. "It's what replenishes your magical power or your physical energy." She had to blink a few times before she realized he was making fun of her. A murderous look crossed her eyes as Roxas held out his hand.

"We're back at Radiant Garden," he said as she grabbed his hand and got out of the bed. Radiant Garden? Something nagged at the back of her head. Something bad had happened... Kairi! Kairi had been captured by Marluxia.

"What about Kairi?" She asked in what would have been a serious tone had it not been interrupted by a puppy-like yawn. The moment she asked, she remembered Larxene's words, _"Princess, we owe this all to you and your lack of strength." _A frown appeared on her face, and her expression dropped. _'Is that... true?' _Even she had to admit that she had been having an abnormal amount of trouble since she first gained a keyblade. She was not all that strong, that was true, and often found herself in a tight spot... If she was stronger, then she would have been able to protect Riku, wouldn't she? And Kairi...

Roxas shook his head, as if he could sense what she was thinking. "We don't have any leads, yet, and it's not your fault." They exited the room and returned to the empty cockpit; she fixed him with a perplexed stare. "Don't listen to Larxene. You're fine, Keira. Honest." She smiled a little, following him to the computer as he typed in a few things so that the windshield lifted and they exited. They appeared to be behind Merlin's house and the only way they could hope to get into the house was by climbing over the roof and jumping down.

"Roxas, please don't tell me-..." She began, but was quickly cut off by Roxas.

"Then I won't tell you." He smirked as he walked to the other side of the roof and dropped down; it was not too much of a big of a drop. Keira groaned and followed suit, landing on all fours on the ground below. She winced at the pain that was still in her wrist.

"So, no potions were in the ship?" She muttered as she shakily got to her feet.

Roxas turned to face her, raising Bond of Flame. "Cure." Her wounds healed very slightly. "Your wrist is probably going to have to be wrapped with something and that was pretty much all of the magic power I had left. Sorry," apologized Roxas, rubbing the back of his head. That also reminded Keira of something.

"Don't sweat it, and..." She hesitated for a moment. "How's Sora?"

He smiled sourly as he stepped inside. "Do you even have to ask?" Keira nodded shortly; it was to be expected. She was just about to follow him in when a familiar voice called from behind her.

"Princess!" The voice had a joking and easy-going nature to it. She whirled around and found herself facing Yuffie. Not much had changed during their separation besides the fact that Yuffie had a few cuts and scratches on her body. Keira managed a weak smile as the ninja rushed forward and embraced her in a bone-crushing hug.

Keira managed a sheepish smile, "Nice to see you again, too, Yuffie." Her voice was strained. "But, y'know, I'm kind of injured, and... you're making it hard to deal with it."

Yuffie promptly released her. "Sorry!"

Keira nodded. "Are the others inside?"

"They're all over the place," answered Yuffie. "Leon, Cid, Cloud, Merlin, the King, Goofy, and Donald are there. Aerith, Marlene, Denzel, and Tifa are still in the Marketplace." She shook the hair out of her eyes and headed to the door. When she reached the door frame, she stopped and turned her head a little. "Aren't you coming?"

"I'll be there in a second," she responded before turning on her heel and disappearing around the corner. Yuffie blinked but shrugged it off and headed inside. She wandered inside of the kitchen to find all of the men and Naminé sitting at the long table. She weakly waved at Roxas, Naminé, and Axel before collapsing into the seat between Goofy and Cloud. Riku was retelling what had occurred at Station Heights.

**XxX**

Keira bumped into several shoppers in her hurry to get to Aerith and Tifa. She knew that if anyone could heal her to almost perfection, it was their resident healer. Luckily enough for her, Aerith caught sight of her from the other side of the Marketplace and waved her hand. "We're over here, Keira." Tifa looked past her friend so that she could look out for the princess. Most other people that were crowded in front of Keira took one look and stepped away from her; her appearance was relatively gruesome with her cuts and dried blood.

As she ascended the stone steps to reach Tifa and Aerith, their expressions of happiness to see her quickly turned to concern. "Keira, you look..." Tifa gasped, unable to say what exactly she looked like.

"Terrible?" suggested Keira with a smile. It was weak, but friendly all the same. Aerith smiled softly and grasped the girls hands within her own. A green light surrounded the two of them, healing Keira immediately.

**XxxxxX**

Kairi glared at the familiar cell inside of the empty castle. It seemed emptier than it had the first time the princess had been forced into the cell. This time, she did not know if anyone had a clue as to where she was. And this time, there was definitely no chance of Naminé materializing and opening a portal. Empty, empty, empty. They could have at least given the place a little color. She was sitting in the back corner of the cell, wishing not to get close to any other Organization member's hands again.

That was when she heard it. A voice. At first Kairi thought she was going crazy, but after the tenth time she began to think otherwise. Her blue eyes scanned the wall beside her and she realized that there was a new set of barred windows there. There were also hands. Several pairs of hands. Kairi bit her lip and lifted herself off of the floor. The bars were only slightly taller than herself, so she stood on the side to get a look at who was in the other cell. A pair of blue eyes stared at the girl with a mixture of happiness and horror.

"Aurora," Kairi whispered as she looked past the sleeping beauty. Several others were with her. "Alice, Belle, Snow White, Cinderella." She could not believe her eyes.

"I see that you have wasted no time in acquainting yourself with your fellows, Princess." The smooth voice of a woman called from behind the bars of the other cell.

* * *

**A/N: Short, but if I didn't end it there, something else bad would have happened in the chapter. xDDvv**

**So I realize that all of the Princesses but one have been caught, but it's for time saving purposes aside from the fact Wonderland blows my mind and it would be hard to write Snow White's capture, and Cinderella had a chapter, but I despised it. Most of 'em have had their own chapters, anyway.**

**One more thing, if you don't like the fact that I've totally changed Aerith so that she's a healer, deal with it. Thank you. :D Though, if I remember correctly from the game, she... can only do white magic. What else? That's it! See you next time.**


	25. Murder in the Garden!

**A/N: 6.24.09-Thank you to anyone and everyone who has taken the time to review and read this. Yeah, this note is mostly so I remember later that I've fixed up this chapter. Sort of. xD**

Old note: **Today, I have not a snazzy remark to make, so let's go straight to the story, after the disclaimer, of course.**

**Disclaimer-Guess what? Kingdom Hearts still isn't mine. Hm. I'll have to fix that.  
**

* * *

Keira walked back to the house with Aerith and Tifa on either side of her. Now that she was almost completely healed, she felt very excited to see everyone again. She had already explained what had happened in Twilight Town, though she had no doubts that she'd have to tell the others about her part when Riku had been unconscious. She shivered at the memory of it all. Larxene was a bit annoying in attitude, yeah, but she was also extremely frightening; Marluxia seemed like a ballerina in comparison to the Nymph. Then, there was the fact that, despite what Roxas said, she could not get Larxene's final words to leave her head.

"Poor Kairi," mumbled Aerith.

"Wherever she is, the other captured princesses should be," remarked Tifa thoughtfully. "But who knows where that could be." Keira sighed and nodded in agreement with the other two, wondering how many of the other princesses had been captured. Her black boots dully thumped the ground as they entered the house and shut the door.

"Guys?" called Tifa.

Cloud's voice answered from the kitchen, "In here." Tifa smiled unconsciously at the sound and, by the time she realized how long she had been smiling, she saw that Aerith and Keira had smirks on their faces. Tifa blushed and looked away from the knowing expressions as she stepped into the kitchen and took a seat beside Cloud. Keira felt the strong urge to run as she sat down between Tifa and Riku, but she resisted and sank into her chair so that she would look more or less important. Aerith sat between her and Leon, a space that Keira was glad for.

Leon was questioning Riku. "But you don't remember anything after that?"

"Nothing, Larxene knocked me out," he repeated, if not a little annoyed, his arms crossed over his chest. Leon nodded and looked at Keira as he leaned back in his chair. She sank down so low that Tifa had to grab her arm so that she didn't hit the wood floor. He stared at her with an expectant stare for a few moments; when she didn't speak, he did.

"Keira, I know you've got something to add to the story," he said in an indifferent yet commanding voice. Tifa pulled her up by the arm a little more so that she was sitting taller.

Keira took a sudden, intense interest in the table's wooden markings. "What's there to say really besides Marluxia kidnapped Kairi?" She kept her voice quiet to show that she did not wish to speak. The way she had lost to the Nobodies humiliated her, her attitude toward Riku made her blush, and Larxene's parting words about her being weak hurt her; because they were true. Leon heaved a sigh and ran a hand through his hair. As she looked away from the deep brown of the table, her eyes met blue ones. _'Do it before he kills you,'_ was what Cloud's told her.

"Fine," she sighed, refusing to allow her eyes to meet anyone else's. "After Riku fell unconscious and Larxene flirted with Marluxia," this earned chuckles from Roxas and Axel, "Larxene said something about being a little grateful towards me if I was going to give her a heart." Leon nodded and the King contemplated this as she continued. "Larxene was fast. She ran at me and stabbed her knives into my shirt so that I was pinned to the wall." She continued to talk about the fight, not missing a bloody detail. The more she spoke, the worse she felt.

**XxxxxX**

Kairi's little "chat" with Maleficent made her wish that Naminé and herself were still whole so that she could escape through a portal. Maleficent's motives were now more or less clear to her, but that didn't help her at all. She strolled over to the bars of her cell and struck at them with Radiant Destiny, hoping for them to break, but the most damage she managed was a few scratches.

Glaring at the bars, she kicked at them with her purple sneakers. She winced at the pain and immediately regretted the flare of anger. "Don't despair, Kairi," A voice said from the other cell; Kairi recognized it as Alice's. A smile graced her lips for a minute because even though Kairi couldn't understand the girl's optimism, it cheered her a little. "We'll come up with something."

She sighed at the girl's words as she slumped against the wall. "You're right, Alice," agreed Kairi. _'I hope.'_

**XxxxxX**

"I do say, that woman sounds terrible." Merlin remarked once Keira had finished retelling what had happened. "And that does explain the number on your clothes. Stand up, dear." She followed his instructions without a second thought. From across the table, Merlin pulled out his wand and waved it twice, sending a flurry of light at her. She jumped once as the light came near her but soon relaxed when it fell upon her body. Almost immediately, all rips, tears, and stains in her clothes were repaired.

"Thanks, Merlin."

The wizard smiled in response as he reclaimed his seat. "Think of it not, my dear."

"So, what do we do now?" Leon muttered to no one in particular as he stared at the table.

Sora glared across the table, his chair squeaking against the floor as he jumped up. "We find out where Kairi is!" He decided, speaking for the first time. Sora looked round the table, but he found no support. Keira bit her lip and stood up once again, as did Riku.

"He's right. It can't be that hard," agreed Keira, her eyes burning with determination.

Riku nodded. "There are several obvious places to look, too."

Roxas seemed annoyed as he, too, stood up. "There are just two small problems with your plan to find Kairi. For one, you should at least check up on Jasmine to see if she's been captured yet." Roxas inhaled deeply, as if his next words were particularly painful, "And two, if Keira were to follow around with you like she's obviously planning to do, she'll probably be captured, too. And then where would we be? Watching Maleficent take control of all of the worlds."

The table seemed felt unease at Roxas' words because they knew he was right. Axel nodded in agreement. "And if you don't think you'd be captured, Keira," He said, eying the girl, "Remember how you were at the mercy of _just_ Marluxia and Larxene." This hit a sore spot in Keira, Larxene's words bouncing around in her head again.

She pounded the table and whipped her head to face Axel so fast that her ribbon flew out of her hair. "I was out of _magic_, had I not been, I wouldn't have been at their mercy."

"What makes _you_ so sure?" Axel spat as he also stood up. "You haven't worked with them and that was your first encounter with them. I say that you got off with Larxene easily."

"You do, do you? What do you know about me, really? I'm still learning things about myself, and this," she gestured with obvious distaste at her heart. All of this trouble, and for what? She was supposed to be some sort of princess, yet she was the weakest in the group. She had been fighting longer than Naminé, and the latter was still better than her. Keira shook her bangs out of her face before stomping out of the kitchen and, a few seconds later, there was the sound of the front door slamming shut. Riku made to exit the kitchen as well, but Naminé stood up instead and shook her head.

"Let me go after her," she offered before also exiting the kitchen. Axel sighed and slumped back into his seat and massaged his temples.

"Why were you so hard on her?" asked Riku, anger audible in his tone. He despised the fact that he had allowed Larxene to get better of him, and he despised it even more because he had left Keira at the mercy of such horrible torture, "As if what Larxene said wasn't enough. You didn't need to add to it."

Axel spared him a glance. "Because if she faces the Organization like that, then she's bound to get her ass kicked and captured. And nobody knows Saïx's rage and determination better than me."

**XxX**

Naminé was surprised by the distance Keira had put between herself and the house while she searched for her. The sun had been setting for a while by the time she found the princess in the Dark Depths. Her legs were hung over the side of the cliff, swinging contently and her cheeks were still red with embarrassment and anger.

"Keira?" called Naminé more out of respect than acknowledgment.

She nodded. "Come on over, Naminé." She lifted her eyes to the distant sun as Naminé sat beside her.

There was an awkward pause, then, "Are you feeling better?"

Keira smiled at the other girl's hesitation. "It's okay to ask, Naminé." She told the other girl as she watched the sun slowly fade away. "I'm alright. I'm not really mad at Axel, but I'm stressed out. I mean, I've been stressed out since I got here."

"I understand," stated Naminé, smiling lightly. When she had been brought to Castle Oblivion and been put under Marluxia's "care", she had been extremely stressed.

"Well, somebody does!" responded Keira so vehemently that they both laughed. As the sun went down completely, she pulled up her legs and hugged them to her chest. "I wonder what happened to my family, my friends. I know what happened to Quince, but Nalani... and Elie..." She muttered softly, drawing Naminé's attention. The witch had never heard the princess talk about her past. "Heh, I bet my mother screamed at the Heartless and threw things at them. She probably fought to save her heart."

Upon realizing what she was suggesting, Naminé objected. "Keira you don't know that her heart was captured."

Keira shook her head. "Yes, I do. When a world is taken over, people usually lose their hearts. Particularly people with no ways to defend themselves."

"But some of them escape to other worlds," reasoned Naminé. Keira nodded in agreement with her because she _wanted_ to believe that her friends and family had escaped. It just seemed too unlikely. She tilted her head upwards and stared at the many stars that were becoming visible.

With a soft, reminiscent smile, Keira murmured, "I can hardly believe my world used to be part of this."

Naminé nodded, staring at the stars serenely. "It's beautiful."

After another moment of silence, she sighed. "Larxene... What she said back at the station was true."

"Kairi being captured was _not _your fault," argued Naminé immediately.

"Maybe not," she agreed, "But I am weak. Ever since I came here, all I've ever been is the one in trouble. I feel like if this thing is supposed to be so great," she gestured to her heart, "then I should be stronger. Even you are tons stronger than me, and I've had a keyblade longer."

Naminé smiled. "I've known about everything since I was born from Kairi's heart and, given who I'm the embodiment of, my will and strength might be just a bit stronger than yours," she added, her smile becoming teasing for a moment. "You haven't been aware about Nobodies or Heartless for that long. Give yourself time, Keira. You can be great, I know you can."

**XxX**

"They've been gone a while," remarked Cloud from where he was sitting with his arms crossed. No one had left the table since Naminé and Keira departed.

Aerith stood up and put her hands together. "I bet you guys are hungry," she said to mainly Roxas, Axel, Sora, and Riku. Sora's stomach growled and answered for the table as a whole.

Tifa nodded earnestly. "We'll help you, Aerith," she offered, grabbing Yuffie's wrist.

"Thanks."

Yuffie turned to look at the others at the table still, "Alright! Well, shoo. Leave us to it!" All of the men, feeling hungry beyond reason, didn't bother arguing and exited the kitchen.

"Axel," Roxas muttered quietly to his redheaded friend. "Let's go find Naminé and Keira."

"But, food..." whined Axel.

Roxas shrugged. "It'll take a while for them to finish, anyway. Besides, you have an apology to make."

Axel sighed. "Fine, let's go, but I _ain't _apologizing."

**XxX**

"We should go," remarked Naminé quietly as she stared up into the night sky.

Keira grinned and nodded, "Yeah, as if it isn't dark enough." Her stomach growled as they stood. "I think I could use some food, too." Naminé giggled and shook her head before she walked down the slope leading to the Great Maw. Keira slowly headed after her, her walk turning into a run when she heard Naminé gasp quite audibly.

"What's-?" She didn't bother finishing her sentence. There were at least a thousand Dusks on the cliffs of the Great Maw and there were more blocking their exit to the fissure, "Holy." Shadow Heart materialized in her right hand and Keira had to nudge Naminé to get her back to reality. "We can handle these guys."

Naminé smiled lightly and nodded despite knowing they didn't stand a chance; it would be too difficult for the two of them to take out all of the Nobodies after a day full of fighting. Chain of Memories appeared in her hand as the Dusks moved in closer. "They came to take you." Naminé stated without really knowing how she knew that.

"You're probably right," agreed Keira as both of them rushed forward to fight.

**XxxxxX**

Kairi yawned loudly and started to nod off, but she quickly shook herself awake. She would not fall asleep in this prison; she would find a way out... but how? In the next cell over, the other princesses had stopped sending words of comfort to ease the girl's restlessness, so Kairi assumed that they had fallen asleep. The Princess glared at the bars. How could Radiant Destiny not break them?

**XxxxxX**

After a while of walking, Roxas and Axel finally reached the Fissure and stared at the Great Maw. There were many white things there, and two blurs were moving at a rapid pace to make the white creatures disappear. Axel and Roxas exchanged a glance before they rushed out to help. "Axel," began Roxas as his keyblades materialized in his hands.

"Huh?" asked Axel as he slashed at some Dusks with his chakrams.

Grinning, Roxas said, "No suicide moves, got it memorized?"

Axel smirked. "Got it memorized."

**XxX**

Naminé swept her keyblade through several Nobodies, making them disappear instantly. A Dusk dropped behind her silently and prepared to assault her when it was destroyed by the hands of a shard of ice. She turned around and smiled appreciatively at Keira. "Well, that's twenty down and about nine hundred eighty more to go," remarked Keira expertly as she stood beside Naminé.

With a nervous glance at her, Naminé replied, "Our best bet might be to retreat."

Keira shook her head stubbornly. "They'll just follow us. And what if they go after other people? It's too risky."

"Keira, we can't really defeat all of them!" Naminé cried, wanting to shake the girl so that she could understand the magnitude of their problem. An army of Dusks was assembled before them, ready to strike.

"We have to try," decided Keira as she pulled Shadow Heart behind her body a little bit. Naminé had a distinct feeling that much of the determination was coming from what Larxene had said; Keira needed to prove to herself that she could do something. Naturally, Naminé was clever enough not to mention this. Before either they or the Dusks struck, a large blast of fire fell upon the army and destroyed about fifty Dusks.

"The two of you haven't been getting too pessimistic, right?" asked Roxas as he and Axel dropped down from a higher cliff. Naminé grinned and threw herself at her boyfriend, placing a gentle kiss on his waiting lips.

Keira managed a small smile. "Thanks, guys," she muttered as she rubbed the back of her head.

Axel grinned. "What are you thanking us for? There's still Dusks here." He reminded her as she turned around. "Oh, and I'm sorry about earlier. I just wanted you to be realistic, kid, but... I guess you sort of already understand, huh?"

"You're forgiven."

**XxX**

About a half an hour later found Aerith, Tifa, and Yuffie allowing everyone back into the kitchen. "I think we did a pretty great job at cooking," declared Yuffie as she wiped something off of her face.

Aerith and Tifa giggled at her. "But, Yuffie, you've gotten powder all over you when we didn't even _use_ anything with powder," pointed out Tifa as she shook her head.

"That's no fair, Tifa," she whined, sticking out her lower lip, "You owned a bar in your world." Everyone in the room burst into laughter.

Sora declined Aerith's offer to get him a drink as his eyes scanned the room. "Roxas and Axel aren't here." It was unusual that he had noticed this much sooner considering they were the two loudest people besides Yuffie.

"Yes, we are." Axel contradicted as he, Roxas, Naminé, and Keira entered the room. There were grass and dirt stains on their clothing and skin, but they looked fine otherwise.

Keira wiped some dirt off of her face. "Sorry that we're a little late."

"We got a little caught up," agreed Roxas. "Apparently, they knew that we were coming back here."

Although no one really needed to know who 'they' was, Naminé informed, "There was an army of Dusks at the Great Maw."

"I wonder if that means that they've caught Princess Jasmine," mused Riku.

Leon shook his head. "Maleficent probably would have been here in _person_ if that were the case."

"She does get impatient," agreed Riku. Sora sighed and also nodded, but, for the rest of dinner, there was no unpleasant talk of Maleficent, Heartless, Nobodies, or Organization XIII.

**XxX**

The next morning started out pleasant enough; Keira agreed to secretly take Denzel and Marlene to the Marketplace in order to get them some candy. This meant that all three of them had to wake up before _anyone_ else - which was hard since Keira believed Cloud woke up at the crack of dawn - and leave the house before anyone noticed. She found Denzel and Marlene waiting for her in the kitchen by the time she awoke and came downstairs.

"Well, aren't you two fast," yawned Keira from the doorway. Marlene giggled while Denzel grinned proudly. "Let's get going, quietly," she reminded them as they crept out of the house. It was so quiet outside that Keira was surprised the Marketplace was even open. She handed both children a little bit of munny but reminded them not to start eating anything until later. Then, she walked over to a jewelry shop.

She stared at a silver bracelet with longing, but shook it off. There was no way she was buying herself a bracelet. If she were to wear it while fighting, then she would probably just lose it. Her eyes drifted to a pink daisy keychain instead. The more she stared at it, the more it dawned upon her that it was perfect for Aerith. Of course, Aerith wouldn't really have a use for it, but, for the sake of the moment, she purchased the keychain, just in case. When they returned to the house, it was still as silent as the grave. "Go stick your candy upstairs and I'll get us cereal." She told Marlene and Denzel as they ran up the stairs, a lot louder than she would have liked.

Keira turned to close the door, but someone beat her to it; a certain tall blond-haired swordsman. She winced inwardly, _'Busted.'_ "Morning. Cloud," she greeted him innocently before she dodged toward the kitchen. Somehow, he beat her to it and stood in the doorway. "Can I help you with something?"

Cloud stared at her expectantly, one eyebrow raised. "Where were you three?" He asked in a calm, cool, and collected manner.

"Oh, we went to the Marketplace." Keira answered as she took the daisy keychain out of her pocket. "I wanted to buy Aerith this."

"And what would Aerith do with a keychain?" he asked, causing her to blush.

She stuck the keychain back into her pocket. "Erm... I don't know, but it's the thought that counts, right?" She tried to sneak under Cloud to get into the kitchen but was, however, very unsuccessful.

"What 'candy' were you talking about?"

"U-uhm..." Keira stared at Cloud's eyes. Boy, it was _hard_ to lie to those eyes. "Healthy crackers...?"

Cloud stared at her emotionlessly for a few minutes before his face cracked into a faint smile. "They better not eat that candy for breakfast," was all he said before entering the kitchen. She sighed in relief, following him and grabbing the first sugar-filled cereal that she found in a cabinet, Count Chocula.

As she poured the cereal into three bowls and added milk, she remarked, "I missed you too, Cloud." Hoping he didn't notice the sarcasm, she shoved a spoonful of cereal into her mouth.

"Stop," said Cloud as he shook his head and he returned to the table with a cup of coffee, "The misunderstood teenage angst."

Keira teased him right back. "Oh, and wouldn't you know all about that?" To stop herself from speaking further, she shoved more cereal into her mouth.

Denzel and Marlene returned downstairs with a very hungry Axel trailing them. Chocolate stains were apparent on faces of the children, making Cloud sigh with disdain. "Come on, let's go clean up." He said, following them to the bathroom because he knew they wouldn't do it if he didn't follow.

Axel and Keira exchanged glances. "You're eating like a starved coyote," he observed as he pulled one of the other cereal bowls toward him, "And it's making me hungry." Keira snickered as Axel began to shove the cereal down his throat spoonful by spoonful.

**XxX**

Late afternoon found Keira laying on her bed and staring at the ceiling with boredom. She had declined the offer to spar with anyone at least five times, still drained at the thought of the fight with Larxene. Her body was lying off of the side of the bed with her head hanging over the edge, and it wasn't very comfortable; she felt cross-eyed and all of the blood was rushing to her head. She sighed, springing back onto her bed. "I need to do something."

"Start with not talking to yourself," called Riku from the hallway. Though there had been a point (a very small one, she had to admit) when his teasing her annoyed her, she found that it made her feel good now; her heart beat painfully in her chest as she jumped off of the bed, threw on her boots, and opened the door.

"Can I help you, Mr. Eavesdropper?" she asked with a playful grin.

Riku smirked. "Why, yes you can, Princess." His smirk became more pronounced as Keira's face turned sour at the nickname. "Let's go out."

She fixed him with a blank stare as her cheeks burned. "Uh-uhm..."

Riku chuckled and grabbed her by the wrist. "Don't be so shy, Princess." He said, towing her behind him as they descended the stairs; Cloud and Tifa watched the two with interest from the loveseat. Keira caught both of their eyes and felt her cheeks burn a deeper red. Tifa hid a giggle behind her hand as the teenagers exited the house.

"What about Sora?" Keira finally asked, knowing how much Riku cared for his friend.

"He's somewhere with Roxas, Naminé, and Axel. I think they met Leon at the Castle."

Keira blinked. "Where are we going?"

Riku shrugged lightly. "It doesn't really matter, does it?" A light smile touched Keira's face. _'No, it doesn't really matter.'_ She agreed as she freed her wrist from his grip and hesitantly placed her hand into his.

**XxX**

Keira sighed with content. She was sitting atop one of the Marketplace's higher walls with her eyes staring at the ocean, a smile on her face. **(A/n: Ocean = totally made up.)** The afternoon had been _great_. She had been out with Riku all day; they went out to lunch, then up to the Postern. It had just been so blissful. Even more importantly, Riku and her had gone out on a _date_. Her face flushed at the word, but she didn't really care. After that, she'd run back to the house to give Aerith the keychain, and she had actually liked it. The clearing of someone's throat behind her drove her out of her thoughts.

She turned around and her heart skipped a beat; a boy with straight black hair was standing beside her. Keira jumped up and summoned Shadow Heart. His crimson keyblade was already pointed at her throat. "Stefa, it's been a while," he greeted her without emotion.

"So it has, Quince," she agreed, her left hand balled into a fist. _'How is it that I could've ever fallen for him?'_

"I bet you're wondering how your friend, Kairi, is," he said casually, keyblade still near her throat.

Her eyes narrowed. "Where is she?" She did not wait for a response and swung Shadow Heart. "Oh, crap." Her swing was vicious enough to make her lose her footing, and she began to fall backwards and off of the wall completely. For just a minute, it looked like Quince reached out to help her, but she was sure that she was mistaken, for he was smirking. She hit the water with a loud splash and glared Quince, who waved goodbye and retreated into a black portal. _'He only showed up to, what, confuse me? Piss me off?'_

Keira knew that there was a ladder to get back up, but she knew that she had to swim to the Borough to get to it. **(A/n: Also totally made up.)** She muttered angrily to herself and began to breaststroke to the ladder. She paused for a quick moment when something in the air caught her eye; a large and black wing had just disappeared round a corner, and the sun reflected off of a sword. The image of a certain swordsman beating her to a bloody pulp in Traverse Town made her gulp and quicken her pace.

**XxX**

Yuffie was making her way out of the Bailey when Keira's soaking form fell over the wall. "What happened to you?" She bent over the girl's side as the latter rang the water out of her hair.

"Oh, you know, klutzy me; I fell off the wall in the Marketplace." Her answer was hurried as she stood. Water was dripping down from her skirt, shirt, and her hair still, but she didn't mention Quince; he wasn't worth mentioning. Keira walked forward when she caught sight of black feather on the ground. She stared ahead and noticed that every so often there was another feather. Remembering what Sora had said about his time here before, Keira guessed that it was possible for lightning to strike in the same place twice. Before Yuffie could ask for more details, Keira was running (slipping, really) down the Bailey's steps and heading for the Castle's Gates. **(A/n: The place where she fought Riku much earlier in the story.)**

Yuffie stared after her in wonder and bent down to examine the same black feather that Keira had touched. Her eyes widened as she grabbed it and jumped over the wall, heading back for Merlin's house. "Cloud!"

**XxX**

"Cloud, did you hear that?" asked Tifa with her eyebrows furrowed together. She could've almost sworn that she had heard someone shouting his name.

Cloud shook his head. "Hear what?" Tifa didn't have to open her mouth to respond, for Yuffie burst into the room at that moment. "Yuffie!" Both of them shouted, rising from their places on the couch.

"What's wrong?" asked Tifa as she and Cloud stopped before her. Panting, she only held up the black feather as her answer.

**XxX**

Keira had several stitches in her side, was panting, and her ribs hurt; she had only made it the end of the Great Maw. Of course, since she was so close to where she thought that she had to be, she was having second thoughts of going at all. Why hadn't she dragged Yuffie along with her? Well, it was too late now. She took a few deep breaths before she continued to run all the way up to the Dark Depths.

She expected to see the legendary swordsman standing at the edge of the cliff, but, instead, she found Aerith tending to some lilies in the corner. Keira blinked a few times as she tried to calm her breathing. "Aerith?"

The flower girl turned around and fixed her with a soft smile. "Keira, what are you doing here?"

Keira was still trying to catch up with her breath, and it dawned upon her that she had lost the trail of feathers a while ago. Once she lost the trail, she simply went by what Sora had said about Sephiroth. "I-I thought that..." She trailed off and shrugged her shoulders. "Oh, it doesn't matter," she mumbled, squatting beside the woman. "So, you really like that flower keychain I bought you?"

Aerith giggled. "I do, Keira; it's beautiful." She assured her with a sweet smile. Keira felt her own lips twist up into a smile, but it didn't last. An agile figure jumped from above, landed behind them, and stabbed his sword out all in one fluid motion. Keira gasped in horror as she felt tears burn her eyes. The legendary swordsman, Sephiroth, had stabbed Masamune through Aerith's chest in the blink of an eye.

There was no reaction, nothing that she could think of but mumble, "Aerith." Tears slid down her cheeks, blinding her a little, but she could still tell that Aerith's emerald eyes were no longer alight. Keira shook her head and screamed, "Aerith!"

"_Princess, __we owe this all to you and your lack of strength."  
_

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**A/N: It's an FF tradition, and, although I love Aerith, it had to happen. Cruelty number two, eh? Poor Aerith. D:** **See you next chapter!**


	26. Jail Time

**A/N: 6.24.09: I was so cruel to kill off Aerith, but that won't be the last time she shows up, I promise. ;D I've made this chapter a bit longer than before because I included another new part with the other keyblade wielders.**

Old note: **Excuse me for a minute, but there are more people who like this story! Ohmygoshyay! Thank you all for your kind reviews; I'm really glad you like my story. The same story I thought no one would read... xD** **And major inspiration for this chapter comes from "Let the Flames Begin" by Paramore.**

**Disclaimer-Kingdom Hearts isn't mine. T-T And neither is Pirates of the Caribbean. DDx  
**

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Keira could not comprehend what was going on around her. How could Aerith be _gone_? The kind woman that had been so sweet to her when she'd first come to the Radiant Garden was no longer. She wiped her face, for, having been kneeling next to Aerith, some of the blood had splattered onto her when Masamune impaled her. Vaguley, she felt herself stand and back away from Sephiroth and Aerith's body. Last time she had seen Sephiroth, he'd been very close to killing her. And now, she was all alone.

Sephiroth turned his head ever so slightly to see what she was doing and pulled Masamune out of the dead body, the noise of him doing so almost making Keira lose the contents of her stomach. Blood was dripping from the end of the sword and hit the ground. Once again, she felt her stomach wrench, but she held it down as Shadow Heart materialized in her hand. "Princess," the cold swordsman said as he faced the girl, "You're coming with me."

**XxxxxX**

Kairi's indigo eyes fluttered open halfway and she wondered if it was morning. Then again, there wasn't really a morning in the World that Never Was, was there? Just a little ways down the hallway, she could make out voices. She closed her eyes, but scooted all the way to the front of her cell so that she could hear a little bit better. "I don' think it was smart to send Sephiroth, Maleficent," remarked an unknown man. His voice was cowardly, and it made him sound stupid.

"Silence, Pete! I do not care for what you think." The voice of none other but Maleficent hissed. There was a whimpering sound; it sounded like the man named Pete was backing up.

"But, Maleficent!" he cried. "He's killed so many! A-and what makes ya think he won' kill the princess?" Kairi swallowed hard, knowing who he was speaking of.

"If he does, he will be killed instantly." Maleficent answered simply in a voice full of malice. "That girl is in the Radiant Garden with her friends, and, even if he comes close, someone is bound to come to her rescue."

It took Pete a few minutes to respond. "...But isn't he supposed to capture her?" He asked dumbly.

The witch cackled at his stupidity. "No, Pete." Kairi felt a chill go down her spine and she quickly retreated to the back of her cell again.

"Sora," she mumbled.

**XxX**

When Quince reappeared out of his dark portal in the kitchen, he was unsurprised to find the others sitting at the table. He felt like he was always finding them sitting there when he returned from a mission, and he wondered if they did it on purpose. "Can I help you?" asked Quince as he pushed some of his hair behind his ear.

The black-haired boy with blue tips smirked. "So, you had a, what, five minute conversation with her? Did you even do what you were supposed to?"

"Doubtful," remarked the silver-haired girl with a sly grin. She batted her brown eyes at Quince. "Doesn't matter, though, does it? Maleficent sent Sephiroth for her."

Quince blanched, despite himself, "S-she what?"

A brunette girl who couldn't seem to keep her arms off of the black-haired boy laughed. "I bet she'll die, which sucks for the Organization, huh? Aw, didn't Maleficent tell you, Quince? I thought you were pals."

**XxxxxX**

Keira had to admit that she was doing alright with Sephiroth. For the time being, she only had several deep cuts running along her body, but this was probably due to the fact that she was running around. Her anxiety had reached almost the breaking point and she felt like she could faint at any given second. Her heart was pounding hard in her chest, but there was some other weird pain that she felt, too. "Y-you bastard, I hate you." She snarled at the swordsman although it was weak.

Sephiroth only chuckled at her. "Hate or fear?" He replied, rushing forward with Masamune. Keira herself was surprised when she parried the attack. She couldn't push him off, especially with that long sword, and she couldn't just run. Now she was locked into a parrying battle until he killed her. That was wonderful. Sephiroth pushed her down with ease, but, just as he was about to attack, a giant shuriken stabbed into the wall right above their heads.

_'A distraction. Thank you, Yuffie!' _thought Keira as she rolled away from the swordsman. She got back to her feet near Aerith's body and felt more tears enter her eyes, but, before they could fall, she noticed something else. She got onto her knees and picked up the pink keychain from that morning. How the day had changed so quickly... Keira smiled sadly at it and switched Shadow Heart's keychain with the flower one. Instead of hearts, many different pink flowers covered the green metal of the keyblade. At the 'hilt' of it was a large yellow flower **(A/N: The one that you see with the cure spells in KH)** with green leaves jutting from the head.

Two figures ran up the slope leading from the Great Maw, "Nice to see you again, Sephiroth." Tifa glared at him, but he simply looked amused.

Yuffie ran forward and pulled her shuriken out of the wall. "I'll be taking this." She said as she held it in a defensive stance before she and Tifa ran to Keira's side. Before either one stopped in front of her, they saw Aerith's body. Yuffie dropped her shuriken and stared at the ground as Tifa bent over the body.

"He impaled her," mumbled Tifa with disgust and disbelief as Cloud ascended the slope, too. Cloud glared at Sephiroth, but his attention drifted to the three at the edge of the cliff , and the body. The Buster Sword slipped from his grip, a loud thud sounding in the silence.

Sephiroth sheathed his sword as he watched the scene with amusement. "Hearts make you all so very _weak_."

Cloud regained his composure, picking up his sword and glaring. "Sephiroth, you _will pay_."

"I apologize, Cloud, but our battle is still not to take place yet." Sephiroth replied, disappearing in a flash of black feathers. "_Suffer_, Cloud. _Suffer_." Keira allowed her keyblade to disappear in a flash of light as she and Yuffie dropped to their knees.

**XxX**

"It's _empty_ here," pointed out Roxas as he looked around the house.

"You mean quiet." Leon corrected, "Where are those six?"

Riku joined them in the kitchen. "I haven't seen Keira since the afternoon."

"Where would _Merlin_ go?" Sora muttered with an amused expression.

"Good question," agreed Leon.

There was a bang from the front of the house followed by Merlin's yell, "Yuffie told me to find the lot of you!"

Cid blinked. "Why?" He inquired, feeling more than a little confused.

"She said to go to the Dark Depths, it's an emergency," gasped Merlin. "An old man should not be running so fast." Denzel and Marlene were just coming downstairs to investigate all the noise.

"Come with us," said Naminé as the large group set off for the Dark Depths.

**XxxxxX**

"You return," said Maleficent in her typical, cold voice as she gazed at Sephiroth who was sitting across from her in the meeting room, "Without a body. So you have succeeded?"

He nodded once. "I murdered the flower girl right before her eyes." The coldness in his voice could rival Maleficent's.

An evil smile adorned her face. "Good work. Soon, she will come to us without much fuss for fear of her friend's safety. Not to mention her heart is becoming slowly more tainted. Kingdom Hearts is almost mine."

**XxxxxX**

It didn't take long to reach the Dark Depths because not even the local Heartless bothered them. Sora had been surprised every time the other group didn't meet up with them, but, when they reached the Dark Depths, he knew why. Keira, Yuffie, Tifa, and Cloud were all on the ground; Cloud's sword was stabbed into the ground. "So Sephiroth fucking _killed_ her?" whispered Cid, even he was having a tough time controlling his emotions. After Roxas had told Naminé what lay ahead, she had elected to keep Marlene and Denzel in the Great Maw.

"Naminé, why can't we go with the others?" asked Marlene in a quiet voice from where she and Denzel sat across from her.

Naminé massaged her temples. "You're going to find out either way, so I may as well tell you," she mumbled, not wanting to be the bearer of bad news. "Denzel, Marlene, Aerith is dead." The little girl clasped her hands over her mouth while Denzel stared at her, hoping that she was lying. "Sephiroth killed her." Marlene sniffed and crawled over to Naminé's lap while Denzel stared into space.

"He killed her right before her eyes, huh?" Riku asked in a soft voice.

Being the only one who had pulled herself together, Tifa nodded. "We came in by the time she was defending herself against Sephiroth, but I'm guessing that's what happened. It's terrible to see something like that at such a young age, or ever, for that matter." She sighed and ran a hand through her bangs. "This kid, she can't catch a break."

"We should get back." Leon stated in an undertone, who was also struggling to keep back his emotions. He had known Aerith for years, and she was very sweet; it was just so hard to believe any of this. Merlin, however, was the only other man to let his emotions show. Yuffie was happy to provide him comfort, or rather, they were both crying on each other's shoulders.

"What about the body?" inquired Axel.

"We'll have to take it with us to the station, if you can call that place a police station," Leon added under his breath. "Roxas, I advise you have Naminé take Marlene and Denzel ahead. Axel, Riku, and Sora can help me with the body."

At that moment, Cloud stirred. He glared at Leon. "I'll help. Someone needs to drag Keira along anyway." All eyes drifted to the girl. She'd gone from crying with her face buried to red-eyed, silent, and staring into space.

"Trauma," mumbled Riku under his breath as he walked over to her. _'And something else.'_ "Keira."

He was surprised when she lifted her head a little to look at him. "I'm... sorry, I really am. This is all my fault. All Aerith ever did was help me, and I couldn't even do anything for her..." She broke off her sentence, shaking her head.

Riku also shook his head as he pulled her to her feet. The afternoon had been so nice, why could that _not _have lasted? "Keira, listen to me. Listen," he added when she continued to shake her head. "This isn't your fault. No, I don't know what happened," he added when she made to open her mouth, guessing her unspoken words, "but I know you."

Sora turned toward Roxas. "You better set off with Naminé."

**XxX**

That night, the entire world was quiet, quite literally. The police had alerted the town of Aerith's death and there was to be a funeral service the next morning. Since she had been one of those who used to live in the castle, had also helped rebuild the world, and was also someone everyone knew well, everyone was mourning her death.

Cid, Leon, Tifa, and Cloud were all sitting in the kitchen with a drink not too far from their hands. Merlin had already gone to bed, as had Marlene and Denzel. Naminé, Keira, and Yuffie were keeping each other company, so Axel, Riku, Sora, and Roxas were keeping each other company in Riku's room. Those who were awake were doing nothing in particular, just sitting around. Well, except those in Riku's room.

"Tomorrow Roxas, Naminé, Keira, and I are going to Port Royal," announced Sora. Riku and Axel both gave him looks, and he rubbed the back of his head. "C'mon, guys, it already looks suspicious enough with four of us going, not to mention we can't blend in. Besides, I think that Keira would like to go to a world full of pirates."

Axel frowned. "So would I!" He protested, but Sora merely shrugged him off.

"You didn't watch Aerith get killed."

"Oh, so if I _had_ seen Aerith get slain, I could go?" The pyromaniac asked, quirking an eyebrow.

Roxas threw a pillow at him. "Shut up, Axel."

"Leave after the funeral." Riku told his best friend, who nodded in return. He added in a slightly lower voice, so only Sora could hear, "Take care of her."

**XxX**

As promised, Sora and Roxas detached themselves from the crowd after paying their respects to Aerith in the Great Maw and were awaiting Keira and Naminé to finish up so they could drag them to the Gummi Ship. "Gawrsh, poor Aerith." Goofy's voice came from behind the boys as he blew his nose, quite loudly, into a handkerchief. Sora managed a weak grin when he turned around to find Donald using Goofy's shirt to blow his nose.

"Wah," whined Donald, blowing his nose into Goofy's shirt once again. Roxas couldn't help but smile at them. Goofy, as if suddenly feeling eyes on him, looked up to see Sora and Roxas.

"Sora, Roxas!" He cried, running forward and wrapping both boys into a bone-crushing hug.

"You know, Sora," Roxas croaked, "I preferred it when I was inside your body and Goofy did damage to only _you_."

Goofy sheepishly released the boys. "Sorry." He apologized, but they only shook their heads.

"It's Roxas' way of grieving; he still hasn't gotten over the fact that he has _feelings_ now." Donald and Goofy hid their quiet laughs behind their hands.

"What are you two gonna do now?" Donald quacked sadly. He and Goofy had traveled with Sora for so long that they knew he'd leave after something like this.

Roxas answered, "Actually, we're thinking of going to Port Royal." Goofy and Donald exchanged glances.

"Who're you two going with?" inquired Donald, wanting to go but knowing that they had to remain in the Radiant Garden.

"Naminé and Keira."

"Gawrsh, Sora, Roxas," Goofy muttered, watching as Keira laid a white lily inside of Aerith's grave. "D'ya think that they'll like that?"

"Well, Keira's sadistic," replied Sora.

"And Naminé likes pretty much everything." Roxas stated. "They need some excitement after this, anyway." Keira and Naminé chose that moment to join them, both wiping tears from their eyes.

Having caught part of their conversation, Naminé sniffed, "What excitement?"

Sora and Roxas, who had not told the girls about the trip ahead of time, grinned. "We're going to Port Royal," he announced. Keira blinked a few times; she'd been out of it for most of the morning, and this was the first time she was attempting to join a conversation.

"'We' meaning...?"

"You, Naminé, Roxas, and I," answered Sora. Naminé and Keira exchanged glances, but Roxas could figure out what they were asking each other.

"Axel and Riku have gotten over it," he told them.

"Well, can we at least say goodbye?" inquired Naminé. "I'm sure we won't be back for a while." Sora nodded lightly, and, in the blink of an eye, both girls were gone. Keira, unsurprisingly, ran right to Riku and hugged him tightly. He didn't need an explanation, so he only nodded and kissed her head to which she blushed; a nice feeling on her cheeks. Sora, Roxas, Goofy, and Donald tailed after them, so that they could get their goodbyes in, too.

Naminé and Keira were enveloped in a bone-crushing hug the minute they stepped into Yuffie's line of sight. Leon stood behind her, smirking weakly. "Take care of yourselves, guys." He told the foursome. Keira found Cloud lurking near Aerith's grave all alone, so she approached him. Tifa was near but did not approach them although she, too, was by herself.

"Cloud," Keira spoke in a clear and controlled voice as she stopped before him; he snapped out of his reverie and gazed at her. "Don't let Aerith's death put you in a bad spot. Tifa loves you, trust me, I can tell. Don't let this tear you two apart, okay?"

Cloud rolled his eyes. "I take it that you're leaving?"

Keira smiled lightly and nodded. "We won't be back for a while, so I thought that it was important for you to hear that. You get so angsty sometimes," her smile grew as he glared down at her.

"Very funny," he said, shaking his head, as he enveloped her into a quick and light hug. "Be good."

"Remember what I said."

Tifa smiled as Keira approached her. "Judging by the smile on your face, he didn't snap at you; that's good." Mischievous grins briefly appeared on their faces.

"I tried to talk him into being good," replied Keira as she and Tifa also shared a hug. As Roxas and Sora were bidding goodbye to the King, they wondered what it was with girls and hugging.

"He's not the only one who should be good," reminded Tifa, staring at Keira. "I hear you're going to a pirate world, so you _better_ be good. Set an example; you're a princess, after all." Keira stared at Tifa as if she feared for her sanity.

"Let's put two words together, okay: Princess and pirate." **(A/n: Like the song, "I am a pirate, you are a princess"! :3)** They laughed.

"Alright, then don't be too bad of a pirate."

Keira saluted Tifa, "Yes, m'am." She stopped before Denzel and Marlene at last. "Guys, if Cloud starts to act up while I'm gone, you're going to have to be the boss." Both children giggled and nodded.

"We will," promised Denzel.

Keira returned to Naminé, Roxas, and Sora. "Let's get going. Maybe Will's seen Kairi," said Sora as he walked off with the other three tagging behind.

"Hey, Roxas, watch Naminé while you guys are in Port Royal," called Axel. "If something happens to her, that means I don't get to be an uncle." Roxas and Naminé immediately flushed red while the others laughed.

"'Bye, guys!" Keira called over her shoulder before they disappeared near the Fissure and beamed up to the ship from there. Riku turned away from the fissure as they disappeared and watched the dirt be thrown onto Aerith's grave.

**XxxxxX**

"So," Keira began as she stood behind Sora's chair. "How far away is Port Royal?"

"Not far as long as I drive." He replied, making Keira and Naminé slightly nervous as they both remembered Sora crashing into the Radiant Garden.

"Why's that?" asked Naminé.

Roxas grinned mischievously. "Let me put it this way," he began, "Sit down and buckle up or come face to face with the windshield." It didn't take long for them to follow his advice.

Sora glanced at him. "Alright, Roxas, you've got the artillery?" He nodded. "Keira, take the controls for the smaller ships," he commanded like a real captain, all business for a change as she gripped the control sticks. "Okay, let's go!" Sora, as expected, set off at the speed of, already, one hundred miles per hour.

**XxxxxX**

In a certain rainy world, many people were gathered into a large group. Rain was falling softly, almost sympathetically, as if it were crying for someone's misfortune. A beautiful young woman with braided brown hair wearing a yellow wedding dress was talking to a handcuffed man in blue; a line of soldiers was blocking another man from approaching these two.

The soldiers barred his entry, causing the man more outrage. "How dare you! Stand down at once! Do you hear me?" At this moment, Sora, Keira, Naminé, and Roxas entered the picture, more or less; they were hiding behind the corner of a black, bricked building.

"Sora, do you recognize anyone?" Keira whispered as Sora and Roxas tried to see past the lines of soldiers. Both boys nodded their heads as they stepped past the safety of their hiding place.

"We're going in. You two stay here," ordered Roxas.

Naminé and Keira stared at them in horror. "You can't go marching past those soldiers like that!" gasped Naminé.

"Just stay here." Sora muttered before he and Roxas stalked through the lines of soldiers that had just allowed the outraged, gray-wigged man through. Either too interested in the scene before them, or apathetic at letting two teenage boys pass through, Sora and Roxas were allowed in. The boys pressed themselves against another wall and also watched the scene unfolding. A man with a blue overcoat and a white powdered wig had just handed a piece of parchment to the gray-wigged man.

Sora and Roxas stared in horror at the realization that the lady in the wedding dress and handcuffed man before them were Elizabeth Swann and William Turner. That meant that the man wearing the gray wig was Elizabeth's father, Governor Swann. "The arrest for one William Turner." The man in the blue overcoat announced as the other read over the warrant.

Governor Swann paled as he read the parchment, croaking, "This warrant is for Elizabeth Swann."

"Oh, is it?" asked Lord Beckett, though seemingly amused. "That's annoying. Arrest her." Two of his soldiers nearest Elizabeth seized and cuffed her.

"On what charges?" she demanded.

"No!" Will, Sora, and Roxas shouted in unison. At the extra voices, Elizabeth and William struggled to look back at the two boys, mouthing, 'Sora?' The Lord remained apathetic towards the new arrivals for the time being as he picked through more documents.

"Here's the one for William Turner." He announced, holding up a total of three documents now, "Two more for a Mister James Norrington, Mister Sora and his companions. Are they present?" At the 'his companions' bit, Naminé and Keira edged farther away from the scene.

"Sora and Roxas are so screwed," murmured Keira.

"This day couldn't get any better," sighed Naminé.

"On what charges?" repeated Elizabeth with surprising fierceness. It was one thing to arrest her and her groom on their wedding day, but it was another to arrest her friend. Sora and Roxas gaped at Lord Beckett, unable to realize what they had done to get into this predicament as they were cuffed. "We are under the jurisdiction of Governor of Port Royal, so you _will_ tell us what we are charged with."

Her father glanced down at her warrant. "The charge is conspiring to free a man condemned to death for crimes against the royals. The penalty of which is..." The governor's face paled further as his voice cracked and died away.

"The penalty is, _regrettably_, also death." The Lord stated, the corners of his lips turning upright slightly. "Perhaps you remember a certain pirate named Jack Sparrow?"

Keira was holding Naminé back with all her might. Fires were burning in her eyes and she had called Chain of Memories to her hand. These days had been so terrible lately that Keira refused to allow another thing go wrong. However, she lost her grip as Sora, Elizabeth, William, and Roxas all retorted the word, "Captain!"

Keira's eyes went wide with horror. _'Shit!' _She ran Naminé, who had single-handedly pushed through the line of soldiers. "They've done _nothing_ wrong," insisted Naminé at Lord Beckett as Keira came up behind her. Elizabeth and Will surveyed them with interest.

"Ah, more companions of Mister Sora, I'm guessing? Arrest them." Keira and Naminé had both summoned their keyblades.

"Naminé, Keira," called Sora, drawing their attention to him as he shook his head. In their distraction, they were also cuffed and pushed towards Will and Elizabeth. One of the soldiers surveyed Keira with distaste.

"Must be an American," he announced. **(A/n: Which, I don't think, had been founded quite yet. xD Some present-day humor, dudes.)**

"Take them away," ordered Beckett lazily. Redcoats surrounded the six captives, forcing them to march toward the jail.

"It's nice to see you again, Will, Elizabeth." Sora said in a cheerful tone, causing the addressed to laugh.

"It's wonderful to see you again, Sora," replied Elizabeth.

Naminé, who was a little calmer, asked in a soft voice, "Were you two getting married today?" Elizabeth and William both nodded sadly and stared at the newcomers with interest.

"I should introduce you all," Sora said sheepishly as he pointed to the blond. "This is Roxas, you don't know him, but he knows a lot about you." Elizabeth and Will stared at Sora curiously. "Remember what I told you two about Nobodies last time? Roxas is my Nobody."

"I'm Keira," she introduced herself, at Elizabeth's glance between her and Sora, she shook her head frantically. "I am girlfriend to no one here." Roxas, Sora, and Naminé stared at her blankly for a minute, not quite sure what she was getting at; she blushed.

Naminé put a hand to her chest. "My name is Naminé," she introduced herself, "I'm Roxas' girlfriend, and a special Nobody of Sora and his girlfriend."

"It's a pleasure to meet you all," said Will, "I'd shake hands were it not for these shackles." Keira, Roxas, and Naminé smiled lightly.

"Sora, where is your girlfriend?" Elizabeth asked, but immediately regretted doing so as Sora looked downcast.

"That's part of the reason why we came here," he explained. "My girlfriend, Kairi, is a Princess of Heart and she was kidnapped by two Organization members working for Maleficent." Will and Elizabeth remained quiet for a few minutes as they tried to connect the familiar names with what they knew.

Shock crossed Will's face as he realized, "That means that they'll take her heart."

Sora nodded lightly. "But they won't do so until they have all seven Princesses of Heart and Keira." He informed them, once again receiving confused glances from them as they reached the jail.

"Keira?" Elizabeth inquired, "But..." She trailed off as she, Naminé, and Keira were shoved into a cell while Will, Roxas, and Sora were thrown into the one beside them.

Keira dusted off her skirt. "It's story time, I guess." She inhaled deeply before relaying her story as she knew it.

* * *

**A/N: You know, I'm not exactly sure why I thought it necessary to copy several lines exactly. I had to re-watch the beginning of Pirates many times. xDD Anyway, that's it for now.** **See you next chapter!**


	27. Lucky You

**Chapter 27: Lucky You**

**A/N: 6.24.09: Nothing too important here. I'm altering some of the pirate lines a bit, though.**

Oldnote**: I am so sorry that this chapter took so long, my birthday was yesterday (July 2nd) so I've been busy. Yay, Lollipop. Fifteen at last. :D Anyway, I noticed something today after beating Kingdom Hearts 2 for the ten millionth time; It's been so long since I've actually looked into Kairi's eyes, but then I realized that her eyes are really purple. And they were in the first one, too. So I'm going to have to edit that in the past few chapters to make myself feel better.**

**Anyway, thank you all for the reviews/favorites/and story alerts!**

**Disclaimer-You can only do this so many times before it depresses you. -Sighs- No, I do not own Kingdom Hearts, alright? Or Pirates!**

* * *

"So, that is what you've been up to lately," William muttered. So far, the day had passed slowly enough. The minutes only passed by story telling. When Keira, Sora, Roxas, and Naminé had finished, Will and Elizabeth weren't quite sure what to say. Before they really had a chance to think of anything, a man unlocked Sora, Will, and Roxas' cell door. "Lord Beckett has a want to see you." The man announced as he opened the iron door, nodding his head at Will and Sora.

Will exchanged a quick glance with Elizabeth before he stood and exited the cell, but Sora grabbed Roxas by the wrist and pulled him along. The man started, "His Lord does not-"

"I think you'll find that he does." Sora replied as he venomously spoke over the man. Then, the three of them were shackled and led away.

"What do you think he wants?" wondered Naminé.

Elizabeth shook her head. "I don't know, but something tells me that it can be nothing good."

**XxxxxX**

"Those won't be necessary." Lord Beckett informed the guards that dragged Sora, Roxas, and Will inside. Roxas rubbed his wrists as soon as they were freed. The Lord looked over the blond boy, irritated. "I thought that I said..."

"You did," agreed Sora. "But Roxas has been here before, with me, actually. So whatever you want with me, you want with him."

"We're kind of like puzzle pieces." Roxas stated, grinning. "It's almost like we were the same person."

"Enough." The Lord snapped before they could continue their strange inside joke. "The East India Trading Company has need of your services." He stated, nodding his head at several glasses on a table, but Sora, Roxas, and Will all refused. "We wish for you to extend a... hand of friendship to our sincere friend, Captain Sparrow."

Will looked over Beckett suspiciously. "More acquaintance than friend. How do you know him?"

"We've had dealings in the past," came the airy response.

"What kind of 'dealings'?" Sora asked with an air that suggested he didn't believe the Lord. Beckett, however, did not answer.

"Because of you, Sparrow was freed." Lord Beckett reminded the men before him. "Go to him and recover a certain possession. Something that he keeps at all times."

"What do we get in return?" Roxas cut in. Lord Beckett once again glanced in his direction as if he were an annoying fly; Roxas was reminded of the stare Diz had often fixed him with.

"Your freedom." The Lord replied as he pointed at several letters on his table.

"And what will Jack get?" asked Sora.

Lord Beckett glanced at him. "A position in the new world." He replied as he stepped onto the balcony and pointed at the various workmen around the pier. Will's face turned to a look of slight amusement as he, Roxas, and Sora followed.

"Jack work for the East India Trading company? Somehow I doubt that would please him." The blacksmith stated.

"Sparrow, as well as yourself, must both fit into this new world, or parish. There is not such a need for pirates now as back when the world was less developed."

"There's never a need for pirates." Sora added, shaking his head. "But that doesn't mean they don't exist." Beckett acted as if Sora had not spoken.

"What I want is something that Mister Sparrow keeps on his person at all times," repeated Beckett as Sora and Roxas' minds drifted back to when they were last in Port Royal. Of course! That odd compass he always used. "A compass." He finished, watching as Roxas and Sora looked away. "Ah, you know it."

"Why would you want his compass?" demanded Roxas. This was a little odd: freedom for a little compass? Not just any compass, but one that never seemed to help them, at that rate.

"That is of no importance," replied Beckett. "Do not question me when I am offering you freedom. Now, set off and find me that compass. Return to me and all of the charges will go away." With that, red coats led Sora, Roxas, and Will back out of the room.

**XxxxxX**

Elizabeth, Keira, and Naminé were all hunched against one side of their cell. The cell to their right was full of many annoying men who were whistling, howling, and more. "Pigs." Elizabeth muttered, disgusted. Keira and Naminé both nodded their heads in agreement. At that moment, Roxas, Sora, and William were running down the stone steps that led to the jail cells, but they were halted by a red coat.

"You can't be down here." He stated.

However, Governor Swann appeared and pushed past him. "I think you'll find they can."

"Why would Beckett want Jack's compass?" murmured Elizabeth.

"It seems weird," agreed Naminé. "Are you sure that you can trust Jack? He is a pirate." The men nodded their heads.

"Miss Naminé is correct. Just because you risk your lives for Sparrow's does not mean he will return the favor." The Governor reminded them.

"I believe in you. All of you." Elizabeth stated with Naminé and Keira nodding their heads in agreement.

"Y'know," Sora said as he rubbed the back of his head, "I can free the three of you in the blink of an eye..." His Keyblade appeared in a flash of light. Elizabeth and Keira shook their heads.

"Go on, we'll be fine, but, Naminé," Keira paused as she looked at the other girl. "Go with them. Somebody deserves to have their love with them." Naminé looked at the girl strangely for a minute as she tried to understand what she was saying, but, after a few minutes of staring Keira in the eye, she understood. The blonde scrambled to her feet and summoned a purple-black portal and stepped into it. Will started, remembering Luxord. In the blink of an eye, another portal had appeared beside Roxas, and Naminé stepped out.

Elizabeth smiled softly as Roxas and Naminé shared a brief kiss. "Go. Don't let anyone see her." She said, staring Will square in the eye. "Take care."

"If you change your mind," Roxas said, his hand grasping Naminé's while he looked at Keira, "We'll be in Tortuga. At least, we'll be starting there." Keira understood what he meant and nodded.

"Take care." She murmured as the men exited the prison with Naminé between them. Elizabeth turned back to Keira as the two of them retreated back to the safe corner of their cell. To answer the woman's unasked question, she summoned the Remembrance **(A/N: Obviously Aerith's keychain**) keyblade.

Elizabeth nodded in understanding. "We'll leave later tonight; we can't leave without the letters of Marque." She whispered and Keira leaned in closer to hear the plan.

**XxxxxX**

Not much later, Roxas, Naminé, Will, and Sora had arrived at a bright Tortuga. Many fishermen, pirates, and sailors were out on the piers, so it was the perfect time to ask around for Jack's whereabouts. Roxas and Naminé, Sora, and Will all went separate ways.

In the end, all Roxas and Naminé had found was a confused old man who thought Naminé to be his wife and Roxas their son. Sora had several slap marks covering his face after breathing the name 'Jack Sparrow' to different women. Will, however, had been much more fortunate; he had run into a Jamaican man who had seen a ship with black sails on a relatively close island.

The man was also kind enough to escort them on his ship. "We've finally gotten a break." Sora muttered; Roxas and Naminé both knew what he was talking about. After the events of the past few days, it was a wonder that good fortune had found them at last. The man's ship was nice, but Roxas and Sora silently agreed that the _Black Pearl_ was significantly better. Sora, Naminé, and Roxas adored the sea as the ship set sail and Sora sighed.

"There's no place like home, eh?" remarked Roxas as he clicked his heels together. Naminé giggled while Sora chuckled and playfully punched the blond's arm.

"My brother will take you the rest of the way," informed the man from before in a thick Jamaican accent. The next thing the four of them knew, they had dropped down into a long boat with a man paddling. As they closed in to the shore, Sora could make out the black sails of a ship, and he had no doubts that it was the Black Pearl. Several feet before they closed in on the beach, the man stopped paddling. Will looked at the man, but he simply shook his head and muttered something in a language they could not understand.

"What?" murmured Sora.

Will stood up in the boat and the man looked at him with mild awe. "Bon Voyage." He said as Will kicked off and dove into the water. Once the ship calmed down a bit, Naminé went next, and then Sora and Roxas were last. They kicked all the way back to shore and Sora thanked God that the water wasn't too cold and that he had grown up on an island. When they reached the beach, Will and Sora stumbled onto the sand and began to call out various names. Roxas made a move to join them, but Naminé grabbed his hand.

"I don't have a good feeling about this." She told him in a quiet voice. Roxas nodded and squeezed her hand reassuringly as they made their way to Will and Sora.

"We're going to watch the ship while you two go on. Sound fair?" asked Roxas.

William stole a quick, sympathetic, look at Naminé before he nodded. "We'll be back in no time." He reassured the two of them before turning back toward the jungle. "Well, shall we go, Sora?" The spiky haired boy nodded and they set off into the lush jungle. They weren't all too far in when they found a blue and yellow Macaw sitting on a branch.

"Cotton's parrot." Sora said with relief that disappeared as quickly as it appeared.

The Macaw squawked. "Don't eat me!"

Sora and Will exchanged confused glances. "We're not going to eat you..." Will assured the parrot, but it squawked once again.

"Don't eat me!" It repeated before flying off of the branch.

"That was..." Will began, unable to find a word for it.

"Strange?" Sora suggested. Will nodded. Neither of them took this as a warning and proceeded farther into the forest.

Sora stumbled upon an empty, but very familiar, flask. "Hey, Will." The man in question doubled back and scrutinized the flask.

"Gibbs," Will realized as he pulled tighter on the flask. Evidently, this was a mistake. Will's foot was caught and the next thing he knew, he was being pulled upward by a rope. A whole group of men with painted faces appeared out of the bushes with spears and other weapons. Sora quickly called upon Oathkeeper while Will unsheathed his sword and began to swing at nothing. "You want some? C'mon! I could do this all day!" The savages exchanged looks while one pulled out a bamboo stick. He blew through it and a needle flew through the air, hitting Will directly in the neck.

Sora whirled around as he heard William's sword fall onto the jungle floor. "Will? Will?" He called urgently. In his distraction, another savage sent a tranquilizer into his neck and the boy fell down instantly. The Pelegostos began to howl their battle cry and tied William and Sora to separate bamboo sticks.

**XxxxxX**

Naminé and Roxas turned at the distant sound of struggle. "What is that?" The blonde girl muttered, staring wildly for the source.

Roxas shook his head and swallowed hard. "I thought that this island was uninhabited, but most islands that look like this are usually home to..." He trailed off fearfully while Naminé stared at him.

"...Cannibals."

* * *

**A/N: A shortish chapter, but at least I am finally done! Please review! :DDD**


	28. Freedom, Feign, and Flight

**A/N: 6.9.11: Finally making it a point to significantly shortening the Pirate chapters. There's just waaay too much. Also, trying to put in details so that those of you who have not seen the films actually get what's going on. xD**

Old note:** Wow, this story is doing so very well. Thank you all so much, especially the reviewers who inspire me, and all of you that favorite/story alert this story. And those who just take their time to read this in general.**

**And I have some news for you, after this story is finished, there will most definitely be a sequel. So that is something for you guys to look forward to.**

**Keira: C'mon, guys, don't you understand that Lolli doesn't own Kingdom Hearts yet? Same goes for Pirates!**

* * *

Sora had been having the most glorious dream. He dreamt he was back on the Islands with Kairi and Riku, but abruptly awoke when he was thrown into something. His vision was blurry, and he couldn't see all that much.

"Sora!" A voice yelled from somewhere nearby; he rubbed the sleep out of his eyes and gazed around to find that he had been confined to a cage with a few familiar people. Will, Gibbs, Cotton, and Marty were around him. How had they all gotten into the cage?

Gibbs and Will seemed to be in the middle of a conversation. "So he had no choice," William deducted from his conversation with Gibbs. "He's a captive as much as the rest of us."

Gibbs shook his head. "Worse. The Pelegostos believe that Jack is a God in human form, and they intend to do release him." At that moment, Cotton bit down on Gibbs' fingers, and, cursing, he added, "They'll roast and eat him."

Once he understood what the men were talking about, Sora examined the bars of the cage a little tentatively. "Say, Mr. Gibbs, where's the rest of the _Black Pearl's_ crew?"

Gibbs slowly inhaled. "You see this cage that we're in? It hadn't been built until after we got here." Both Will and Sora released the bars immediately as the beating of drums filled the air. Sora and Will once again looked at Gibbs for answers. "The feast is about to begin. Jack's life will soon end."

Sora shook his head. "Well, we can't just sit here and wait." He stated, sharing a look with Will before they both shoved their bodies against one side of the cage. What was left of the _Pearl's _crew nodded and they, too, shoved their bodies against the cage.

Sora pulled himself to the top of the cage and grabbed two vines.

Will also grabbed some. "Put your legs through and climb!" Everyone followed his orders.

Shortly after the distant screams of the cannibals reached Roxas and Naminé's, they decided to examine the jungle, but to no avail: there was absolutely no sign of anyone. It was only thanks to Naminé's anxiousness that Roxas pulled out and they returned to the ship. When they reached it, someone else was already there.

Pintel was staring at the deck of the ship and yelling orders at someone. Roxas raised an eyebrow at the pirate as Fenrir and Sleeping Lion flashed into his hands. "Oi!" Pintel and the unknown person on the _Pearl _turned their attention on him.

"Boy, what're you doin' on an island like this?" growled Pintel, who thought there was something distantly familiar about the strange boy. He was without weapons, so he was going to play it safe.

Roxas grinned. "Right, you wouldn't know me, but... Do you remember a boy named Sora? You know, he kicked your Captain from here to hell?" Pintel's eyebrows furrowed together as Ragetti climbed down the ship with one empty eye socket. Naminé gasped in horror at him and gripped the back of Roxas' shirt.

Suddenly both men's expressions turned calm. "Sora, that's right. He used the weapons you're usin'!" Ragetti exclaimed. "But I thought that kid was special?"

Roxas smirked. "He is, and I'm his Nobody." He pointed Fenrir at the men, "You'd better tell me what the hell you're doing with the _Black Pearl._"

Ragetti and Pintel exchanged a glance. "We were just trying to get the ship out for a quick getaway," explained Pintel in an innocent voice. "Capt'n Jack would appreciate it."

"Yeah, right; I'm not that naïve, so you better tell me what's really going on here."

Sora couldn't believe how fast his heart was beating. In his time of saving the worlds, he was quite sure that his heart had never been pounding this fast. He held up Oathkeeper up to block another arrow from piercing him. "Let's go, let's go!" Will was shouting. Sora watched his back for one more minute before he followed after the group fleeing back to the _Pearl_.

Up ahead, the Black Pearl was almost completely in the water, but part of it was still stuck in the sand. "The Mooring Line!" Pintel's familiar voice was shouting. Sora quickly ran forward with Oathkeeper, but he called it off when he saw Roxas and Naminé standing on either side of the man with their Keyblades.

"Make ready to sail, boys," Gibbs yelled to the crew. "And girl." He added for Naminé's sake.

"What about Jack?" Sora asked.

Will nodded. "We aren't leaving without him."

Naminé, who had begun to climb the ship, froze and stared at them with disbelief. "Sora, we can use our Keyblades to free Elizabeth and Keira; this isn't worth getting killed over!"

Sora looked over at her. "But then Will and Elizabeth would be sent to the gallows anyway!"

Roxas, who was already aboard the ship, helped Naminé up. "He's right, Naminé. They're our friends, and we can't abandon them." Naminé bit her lip and turned around as the wind began to blow her hair and the rising sails.

"OI!" A voice shouted as a strange looking man with his arms flung out ran down the beach.

Sora looked at the man with a grin. "Cap'n Jack! I knew it!" The grin quickly disappeared as, in t that same moment, the tribe of Pelegostos that were giving chase to their 'chief' appeared.

Will took one look at the savages before turning to the remainder of the crew. "Never mind, let's go."

The ship began to set off, and Sora half-expected that the captain wouldn't make it. Then again, Jack _was_ Jack. A wave crashed against the side of the _Pearl_ as Sora climbed aboard and Jack followed after.

"Zola!" Jack cried, extending his hand as he reached Sora; Naminé and Roxas joined them.

"That's Sora!" The three of them retorted, but even Naminé had a hard time keeping her tone firm.

Jack grinned and looked over Sora's companions with intrigue. "Were Donald and Goofy always human?" Naminé frowned and Roxas shook his head.

"Jack, do you remember our last journey when you learned about Nobodies?"

"Yes, that fellow... Luxord, was it? He cursed us." Sora nodded, pleased that Jack had remembered. Then again, he supposed being cursed in such a way was not too easy to forget. Jack's eyes returned to the blonds. "These two aren't planning to curse us again, are they?"

With a giggle, Naminé introduced herself. "I'm Naminé, the Nobody of Sora's girlfriend." And then Jack did something that Sora and Roxas had seriously doubted that they would ever see: Jack took one of Naminé's hands and kissed it.

"Pleasure. And you?" Jack asked, turning to face Roxas.

Holding out his hand, he answered, "Roxas, Sora's Nobody. Err, please don't kiss my hand." Jack laughed and shook the boy's hand vigorously.

"Yes, he much resembles you, Zola. In more than just looks, too. How long have you had a Nobody?" Sora was a little put-off by all of these questions; it was very unlike Jack. Something had to have happened while he was unconscious back on the island. He assumed that Will had seen Jack.

"Well, I guess over a year," Sora replied, rubbing the back of his head. "I was turned into a Heartless during the end of my first adventure, and, viola, Roxas was born. I found out I had a Nobody a little while ago, though, after I saw you for the second time."

Jack nodded in understanding as Gibbs approached them. "Captain," He said. "Let's put some distance between us and this island and head out into open sea."

Beaming, Jack agreed, "So long as we keep to the shallows!" Sora and Roxas exchanged a worried glance; it was a bit impossible to sail the open sea if they remained in the shallows... Gibbs called the captain out on this fact.

"I have every faith in your navigation skill," he declared before pulling out his pistol and looking around. "Now, where is that monkey? I want to shoot something."

Will approached Jack as he looked around the deck for the monkey. "Jack."

"Huh?" replied the captain, distantly, as he continued his search.

"Elizabeth is in danger," he remarked without patience.

Jack glanced at him before putting his pistol away. "Have you considered keeping a better eye on 'er? Lock 'er up, or something?"

"She _is_ locked up," informed Roxas. "She's going to be hanged for helping you."

"As is our friend, Keira." Naminé replied, frowning, still uncomfortable that she had fled the prison. "And she's bound to be hanged for being in Sora's company."

Jack waved it off. "There comes a time when one must take responsibility for one's mistakes." In a flash of light, four Keyblades had been drawn and pointed at Jack's neck.

"Then it was a mistake for us to help free you from the curse? A mistake for helping you defeat Barbossa?" demanded Sora.

"We have better things to do than sail the seven seas for a stupid compass," added Roxas in an equally angered voice. Will also pulled out his sword although he figured four weapons were more than enough to threaten the captain.

Jack swallowed hard, feeling hot under the collar, though he made no move to retaliate. "So it's only alright when people are helping you, Jack? Never the other way around. We need that odd compass of yours, Jack. We must trade it for Elizabeth and Keira's freedom." Jack pushed away William's blade, but was a bit hesitant to touch the keyblades.

"Mister Gibbs," called Jack. Hesitantly, the wielders allowed their keyblades to disappear.

"Yes, Cap'n?"

Though Jack did not look thrilled when he spoke, he remarked, "We have a need to sail upriver." For some reason, Gibbs visibly paled.

**XxxxxX**

Cloud stared at the reflection in his full cup of coffee. It was nighttime in Radiant Garden, and he had been staring at the cup for thirty minutes. There was the soft pitter-patter of footsteps behind him and he only half turned to see who it was; Marlene was staring at him with confusion and tiredness. .

"What do you need, Marlene?" inquired Cloud as he looked back into the coffee.

"Cloud, don't you like me, Denzel, and Tifa anymore?" She asked quietly. This question was so abrupt that Cloud turned around in his chair.

"What?" He asked in an equally quiet voice.

Marlene strolled forward in her pink pajamas, a frown clear on her face. "You never talk with us or play with us. What did we do?" Cloud beckoned her and she stopped before him; he pulled her into his lap.

"I'm not mad at any of you, Marlene." His voice was still quiet and as even as usual, though it sounded at least a little kind. He was no good at speaking anymore, he realized, least of all about his feelings. "I'm... unhappy that Aerith died."

"So is everyone els, but they still talk."

Cloud slowly patted her on the head "This is...different." He muttered uncertainly with the sincere hope that she would not ask any more on the subject. To explain his true feelings about what happened to Aerith would be the same as opening Pandora's box.

**XxxxxX**

Keira and Elizabeth had been sitting hunched against the cell bars for a while now, the former staring at the ground with a distant expression. "Keira?" began Elizabeth in a low voice as the girl lifted her head and looked at her. "Are you feeling alright?"

"Yeah..." came her serene reply before her eyes returned to the cobblestone. Elizabeth stared at the girl with sympathy. _'It must be hard to have to face the reality that your friends and family may all be dead. And to see such a horrendous death...'_ "It's night, Elizabeth." Had her eyes not been trained on the girl's lips, Elizabeth would not have realized Keira had spoken at all.

At first, she did not understand what was being said. As she went over the words in her head, her eyes widened with realization. "Are you ready?" Keira stood up and called upon Remembrance in response. She extended her arm outside of the bars and awkwardly pointed the tip at the keyhole. A beam of light extended from the tip, followed by the sound of a lock clicking; the door instantly began to fly open.

"Let's go, quickly." Elizabeth whispered as the men in the cell beside them started whistling and speaking loudly while they tiptoed up the stairs. "We have to get to Beckett's quarters."

**XxxxxX**

Kairi attempted to rub the sleep out of her eyes as she awoke from her slumber. The World that Never Was was in eternal darkness, so she had lost any sense of a schedule. At first, she couldn't figure out what had awoken her, but then she remembered hearing Sora's voice calling out to her. She'd also seen something weird in her dream: she'd opened a keyhole with her keyblade.

In the nearly pitch black darkness, Kairi crawled on her knees to the front of her cell and felt around for something, _anything_. Her heart skipped a beat as her index finger traced something on part of the bars. _'It's the right shape...'_ She called upon her Atlantica keyblade and pointed it in the general direction of the engraving. A blue light shot out from the tip of her weapon and into the bar. With a loud squeak, the cell door flew open.

Kairi grinned something fierce as she got to her feet and held her keyblade up in a defensive stance. She quietly exited the cell and passed the other princesses', but, she realized with horror, it was completely empty. She swallowed hard and continued down the corridor until she found the stairs that led to the first level of the castle.

**XxxxxX**

The _Pearl's_ crew climbed the ship eagerly as they returned from the voodoo priestess', Tia Dalma, shack. She had informed them about the mythical figure of Davy Jones, captain of the _Flying Dutchman_, who had cut out his own heart because of his lost love. There was a key, she said, that he always kept on his person. In order to find this all important chest (and open it), they needed the key. "She sure took a liking to the two of you." Sora nodded at Will and Roxas as he put his arms behind his head.

Roxas was slightly flushed. "What can I say? I am the "Key of Destiny"." Naminé could not decide if she wanted to laugh or be angry, so she settled for a simple glare. Its effect was lessened when she yawned.

Will chuckled. "It's quite easy to forget, but I suppose the three of you _are_ still children. Go below deck to catch some sleep."

They were all very quick to protest. "But the Key-!"

"Davy Jones-!"

"His heart-!"

William waved them all off. "Below deck. Go on."

"Aye," Captain Jack agreed as he stepped beside Will. "You can't do any searching if you're tired. Go to _my_ quarters. Captain's orders, savvy?" The three teenagers reluctantly marched to the Captain's quarters, muttering various words of mutiny. It was, they admitted to themselves, a much better alternative to sleeping below deck. "None of that on my ship!" Jack called after them as Sora, Naminé, and Roxas disappeared beyond the door.

"_Your_ quarters, Jack?" William inquired suspiciously.

The Captain shrugged it off as drizzle turned to rain. "No room below deck, savvy? Now then," Jack began as he turned to face the shape of a distant ship, "_That_ is the Flying Dutchman."

Will eyed the ship with interest. "I'll do it," he immediately offered.

**XxxxxX**

Elizabeth's chest was heaving with apprehension as she hid behind a wall in Beckett's office. She had the letters of Marque clutched to her chest with one hand and a pistol clutched in the other. Beckett was also in the room, gazing around for her location without appearing like he much cared. "I see that you've come to discover that loyalty... is no longer what rules this world."

She stepped out from behind the wall and faced him, her face one of curiosity. "Then, what is?"

With a chuckle, he answered, "_Currency_ is the currency of this realm. Money... does make the world go round

She nodded, a small smile playing on her lips, as she clutched the letters more tightly. "Good to hear," she said without interest. "We're here to negotiate."

The smug look on his face was promptly replaced by a confused one. "What do you mean by 'we'?" He inquired as a figure pulled herself from beneath his desk and to her feet. Keira was pointing her keyblade at his throat. "Ah, so you did not only free yourself, after all. Then, where is the third?"

Keira smiled. "Wouldn't you like to know?"

Elizabeth cocked her pistol, and Beckett turned his back on Keira in favor of facing the gun. "I'm listening _intently_," he informed her in an uncomfortable voice.

"These Letters of Marque... Are the signed by the King?"

"Yes, however, they are not valid until they bear _my_ signature and seal." He informed the woman as the smugness returned to his tone; his face still appeared slightly fearful.

"Is that so?" answered Keira as she drew her weapon nearer to him. "Then, what do you think we would like?"

Beckett attempted to ignore her, still staring down the gun. "You waste your time, trying to gain Jack's compass," informed Elizbaeth. "The chest in Isla de Murta—"

The lord chuckled. "Ah, so _that _is what you think this is about. I have no interest in gold, Miss Swann. There is more than one chest of interest and value located in these waters. You have nothing to offer me. Explain why I should do anything you ask of me."

Keira walked around the desk and poked her Remembrance's tip into the his neck while Elizabeth aimed between his eyes. "Why, I will enhance our offer," she said as she pressed the tip further into the man's neck. "If you wish not to be in a world full of pain, then you will sign those letters. I didn't earn my title for being pretty; I'm not your average princess: my powers can liquidate your heart, and I'm sure you wouldn't like to face that experience."

Lord Beckett stared at Elizabeth, searching her eyes for signs that the teenager was lying, but it appeared that Keira spoke the truth. Elizabeth placed the letters on the desk, and Keira backed off as he turned to sign and seal the letters.

"It seems that my actions at your wedding may have been a saving grace for you. You're going to great efforts to ensure Sparrow's freedom," sneered Beckett as he looked toward Elizabeth.

"I am _not _doing this for Jack," she snarled as she snatched the letters.

He simply smiled unbelievingly. "Keep telling yourself that, Miss Swann." He said as the two backed out of the room. "Have a pleasant night chasing pirates, ladies." Elizabeth turned her back first and exited the door. Keira only did so at the last minute before they hurried to the docks.

"What will we do now, Elizabeth?" whispered Keira as the rain soaked their skin.

"We'll catch a ship to Tortuga. That's where they were supposed to be heading first."


	29. Reunions

**A/N: **9.10.11**: I can't believe I've never mentioned this, but I got the idea to use pixie dust from another author in a different KH fanfic. It's been so long that I no longer have any idea who it was or what the story was. **

Old note: **Alright, today I have nothing really to say at all besides thank you for your reviews. They make me happy.** **Also! There's going to be a new character introduced in this chapter with thanks in part to Crescent Moon. In the next fic, I'll be needing lots of new characters, so if you're interested, message me after the first chapter in the next fic.**

**Disclaimer-** **Kairi: Lolli still doesn't own me, Sora, Riku, or anyone else from Kingdom Hearts. But thank goodness she let me pull a jailbreak... **

* * *

Sora, Naminé, and Roxas were just a tad confused when they exited the captain's quarters the following morning. The entire crew was already on the deck, and Jack looked simultaneously happy and upset. "Jack?" yawned Sora as he stretched his arms over his head. Jack faced the trio with a flicker of realization on his face. They were sure that they had imagined the expression, for, in the next minute, Jack grinned.

"Slept well, did you? Good, good." He turned away in a most guilty fashion. Roxas and Sora, of course, did not pick up on this, but Naminé did.

"Captain," she began in a tone slightly louder than her normal, soft one. Jack turned back around to face them once more and nodded to show he was listening. "Where's Will?" At that moment, Roxas and Sora also realized that the blacksmith was missing.

"Will?" repeated Jack with feigned innocence. "Oh, that's a good question, miss. Where did that Mr. Turner get to?"

"Jack, what happened while we were asleep?" asked Sora with a shocking amount of sternness. Jack did not answer immediately, instead playing around with his pistol and gazing around the ship. Jack the monkey jumped in front of him and ran for below deck, and the captain only half-heartedly fired at it.

"Asleep? Last night? Ah, right. William was so kind as to go on the _Flying Dutchman_ to retrieve the key. But in an unfortunate series of events, Davy Jones concluded that he would keep Mr. Turner on his boat."

Sora, Roxas and Naminé's eyes looked like they might pop out of their heads. "_What?" _

Jack nodded sadly and bowed his head. "Very unfortunate; sad indeed."

"W-we're going to save him, aren't we?" stuttered Naminé.

"Of course we are! But to save him, we must get that chest. And to get the chest, we need a bigger crew." Jack told them this as if it was most obvious, but he was greeted by three blank stares.

Sora raised an eyebrow. "Jack, exactly _how_ are you planning to open that chest without a key?"

Jack stared at the boy like he was crazy. "May I see that marvelous little blade of yours once more, Sora?" So surprised was he that Jack called him the right name that he nodded and summoned Oathkeeper. He held it out and Jack eagerly put his hand on the hilt. For a few seconds, Oathkeeper remained in the captain's grip, but it disappeared when Jack began to examine it; Oathkeeper returned to Sora's hand in a flurry of light.

Jack frowned while Sora smiled lightly. "It's not your time yet, Jack."

"Ah." He continued to examine the blade with a somewhat hungry expression. "Nice little design; it's different from last time."

"I equipped it with a keychain my girlfriend gave me a while ago. It's to remind me of our promise."

Jack appeared slightly impressed. "You are a man of your word, Sora." On another note, he continued, "I'm sure that magnificent blade can still open the chest from your hand."

Oathkeeper disappeared in a flurry of light as Sora rubbed the back of his head. "I... guess?"

"Where are we off to now?" asked Roxas. "You said we needed a bigger crew."

"Right," said Jack in a way that suggested he had been awaiting the question. "Tortuga, of course. No better place to look for a crew than there."

**XxxxxX**

Two men were standing side by side on deck of a medium-sized ship. Both were working on scrubbing the railing, though it didn't seem that they were putting their hearts into the work. There was something odd about the pair, though it was difficult to place. Behind them, two more men were fighting over a dress and the crew was slowly gathering around them. The captain came approached the bickering men and stared at them with exasperation.

With a smirk, he informed them, "If you both fancy the dress, you'll just have to share it." The other crewmen sniggered and laugh at the embarrassment the bickering men _should_ have felt, yet their faces did not flush.

They exchanged a look, their grips tight on the fabric, and one of them shook his head. "It's not like that, sir. This ship is haunted."

Though the captain's amusement was quickly fading, he decided to humor them. "Is it, now? Explain."

"A female presence is among us," informed one of the men with the dress. "We can all feel it."

His friend continued, his face screwed up in concentration. "The ghost of a lady, widowed before her marriage, I figure. She be searching for her husband, who was lost to the sea."

One of the men cleaning the railing snorted, but it was not heard over the captain's irritated response. "Enough! Enough! You're a pair of superstitious fools. It is obvious that the dress means we have a stowaway aboard. Instead of coming up with your stupid stories, why don't you go on and look for 'er?" The two men wiping the railing paused and exchanged a glance. It almost looked like they were worried. "A dress means there's a young lady aboard. Not only that, but it probably means she's naked." The crew paused for a moment, mischievous grins on their pig faces, before setting off to find the owner of the dress.

That is, the entire crew with the exception of the men cleaning. The two finally tore themselves away from their 'work' and stared at each other, concern clear on their faces. They both had braids, but the slightly shorter one had 'his' tucked into a hat. The latter removed the hat to reveal a feminine face with hazel eyes. Keira looked at Elizabeth as she bit down on her lip.

"Don't worry, I think this may work to our advantage," informed Elizabeth in a low voice as the pair of them pretended to search the ship for the nonexistent woman. "Where are your clothes anyway?"

Keira lifted up part of her shirt to expose her black shirt; she had simply pulled baggy men's clothing over her real actual outfit. Elizabeth nodded with approval. "Clever."

**XxxxxX**

Kairi was not sure how she had done it, but she had somehow found herself at the castle's entrance, though she had not gotten through unscathed. Scratches and cuts decorated her legs and arms from meeting all types of Heartless on the way. Kairi shivered as she stepped into the rain, though she was unsurprised: Roxas said that it rained often in the World That Never Was.

It was odd to know that, for a change, there was no one around who could or would assist her. The previous time, she had at least had Pluto. She wandered down the streets of the dark city, without knowing where she was going, and she only met Heartless until she reached the Skyscraper.

A dark figure was seated on the ledge in front of the skyscraper's entrance. Reluctantly, she closed the distance between them with her keyblade held at the ready. The figure was of a girl around the same age as herself. Kairi assumed the girl was not seated in the rain for pure entertainment. _'She must be working forMaleficent.' _How careless of the witch not to have anyone stationed inside to stop Kairi (despite the amount of fighters she had at her disposal), yet have a single teenager outside.

The girl, who did not appear to notice Kairi's presence, brushed a strand of stray brown hair and pulled her pigtails a little tighter. She was clearly cold as well, as she pulled her black jacket tighter over her tank top, though the black and red scarf around her neck should have kept her a little warm. Obviously, the girl did not plan well for the world's weather as she was also wearing a black skirt. At least her boots, reaching her knees, kept her warm. The girl's bangs were thick and ended just above her eyes. Kair's foot moved forward without her consciously telling it to, and, finally, the girl stared at her with deep green eyes from beneath her thick bangs.

Kairi instantly pulled Atlantica's Secret into a battle stance as she awaited the stranger to make a move, though that did not take long. The girl jumped off of the ledge, the chain on her skirt jingling as she moved, and summoned, much to Kairi's surprise, a keyblade. It was made of black metal and depicted a large purple, gold, pink and black dragon; its tail made the teeth of the blade. The girl smiled, though it was not in the least bit sinister. "You thought you could get out of there, huh? Well, they didn't station me out here just to sit in the rain, you know." Despite the statement, her tone suggested that was what she thought.

Kairi frowned. "What happened to the other princesses?"

The other girl shook her head with mild annoyance. "I don't know, I've been out _here_. You're not very smart, are you?" Kairi glared even more at the girl but said nothing. "They should've known that they couldn't keep the one with a keyblade locked up. Even Zexion told them that."

The girl was a keyblade wielder. Even if Kairi could not get away, she had to satisfy her own curiosity. "How... did you come to work for the Organization?"

"Maleficent promised to restore my world, but I never liked her. Well, alright, that might not be the original reason... I wanted to protect someone. Anyway..." She cast an anxious glance around before coming closer to Kairi. "We don't have time for a Q I've got to get you out." Kairi's eyes widened and her heart skipped a beat. _'Wh-what?' _Before she could ask what was going on, another voice spoke:

"You really can't trust keyblade wielders these days." In the blink of an eye, a boy with silver and black-tipped hair appeared a ways away from them. "Elie, I thought you pledged your loyalty?" His tone suggested disappointment, but it was clearly just a show: he was a Nobody, after all.

"What do you mean by that?" wondered Kairi, though she really just wanted to appear small and unimportant as Zexion faced her.

"That other one, Quince, he's been softening up to the other princess," sighed Zexion, another show of emotions. "As soon as they learn how to control the darkness, they try to help others; it sickens me," he said as a book appeared into his hand.

"My name is Elie." The girl muttered, though Kairi already knew that, as a portal appeared near her hand. "You've been through these before; find some place that's familiar." Without giving the opportunity for Kairi to argue, she pushed the princess through the portal. It closed behind her immediately, and, though her head buzzed with confusion, her feet began to blindly lead the way.

Zexion raised an eyebrow. "You realize that I can just go after her, of course?"

Elie shrugged her shoulders, as if the point was moot. "You should know how I am when I'm doing something I believe in; I think you'll find yourself a little distracted." She charged at him with her keyblade, and Zexion smirked.

"And _you_ should know when you're facing someone out of your league." The book began to flip through its pages on its own.

**XxxxxX**

The day passed painfully slowly as the _Pearl_ sailed toward Tortuga, leaving Sora, Naminé, and Roxas with little to do. The three were sitting in a corner of the ship to keep out of the way of the crew while Sora took out items from his previous journeys. He found Roxas' munny pouch (which Roxas eagerly took from him), many potions, and a small box.

Sora opened the box, which had once contained summon stones, though all that was left now was golden dust. After making this discovery, he took it upon himself to teach the other two how to fly. Sora sprinkled the fairy dust on the three of them. "Think of a happy thought and you'll fly."

Closing his eyes, Sora thought of his own happy thought: Kairi. Roxas and Naminé watched his body float off of the deck before following his lead. Their bodies instantly joined his.

"Hey, Sora, haven't you ever wanted to..." Roxas trailed off as a knowing look filled the other boy's eyes.

"Have a sword fight on top of the highest mass on a ship like in the movies?" finished Sora as Roxas nodded eagerly and grinned.

Naminé sighed, placing her fingers to her temples. "How old are you two again?" She muttered under her breath in a way that would make Kairi proud. "I guess I'd better referee."

"OI!" exclaimed Jack, breaking away from his chat with Gibbs as he noticed the floating keyblade wielders. "What kind of witch craft are you doing on my ship?"

They simply laughed. "Jack, it's fairy dust; it helps you fly."

This seemed to please the captain greatly. "Is that so? Well, while the three of you are up there, make sure we aren't being followed."

The three exchanged a confused glance. "Followed by... what?" asked Roxas.

Jack waved him off with a hand. "Anything: any ship, any creature," he answered in an offhanded way.

"Yes, sir!" The three of them chorused as Sora and Roxas landed on the mass and summoned their keyblade.

Sora raised an eyebrow at Roxas' duel keyblades. "Rxas, o twin keyblades unless you're going to find a way to get me into a Drive." With much reluctance, Roxas called off Sleeping Lion and kept Fenrir; Sora eyed the blade with great dislike.

_'That's fair.'_ Roxas, who apparently could still hear Sora's thoughts, nodded in agreement. "It is. Just because it's a lot stronger than yours isn't my problem."

Naminé shook her head and rolled her eyes, though she smiled as she raised her arm. "No fighting. Well, you know what I mean. One, two, three, go!" Being who they were, Roxas and Sora started right before Naminé said 'three'. The duel began as the sun set in the distance.

**XxxxxX**

Elsewhere in the Caribbean, two cross-dressing females stood on the deck of their ship. Elizabeth was holding the controls attached to her 'haunted' wedding dress. Beside her, Keira wondered if the men were even more convinced about the superstition given that they had not, of course, located the owner of the dress. "I'll get the captain's attention if he doesn't see it, you start." Elizabeth agreed and pulled on the controls, causing her dress to fly past the captain's quarters.

Keira promptly ducked out of sight. After a few more minutes, the captain came out of his quarters, accompanied by several crewmen. They watched in horror as the dress stopped flailing around and slowly move toward them.

The captain gulped and whispered, "Wh-what does it mean? What sign does she wish to show us?" The crewmen, clearly low on brain cells, shouted out barbaric, random and, unrealistic answers.

Keira sighed as she joined them, pretending to be panicked when she saw 'Tortuga' written in fire on the deck. "Captain! Look!" She cried in the manliest voice she could manage. He looked to where she was gesturing wildly, gasping with the crewmen at the words.

Horror was clear on their faces. "Set sail for Tortuga!" ordered the captain as he ran below deck to wake the remainder of his crew. Keira rejoined Elizabeth as the dress fell at her feet. Smirking, they helped the others set sail.

**XxxxxX**

_'Darkness. Darkness. Darkness. Jeez, is there no end to this?' _Kairi's eyes scanned left and right for a sign of an exit and, finally, she found it, a passage that her heart seemed to like. Though she was unsure of what she would find, she took it and was instantly greeted by fresh air.

The portal melted away as she looked up at the dark, night sky. Her heart clenched at the thought that she had returned to the World that Never Was. Salt and the smell of fish stung her nostrils, and she relaxed. She was standing on the deck of a stagnant ship.

The ship appeared to be stationed on a dock off of a busy island. She glanced around, finding no one, and stepped onto the pier. The sounds of clanging glass, shattering glass, laughs and yells reached her ears from a nearby pub.

**XxxxxX**

Sora, Naminé, and Roxas were sitting quite close to Jack as they took in the scene of the pub around them. Nearby, Gibbs was taking down names for new crew members on a long list of parchment.

As they watched people running around and dancing, Roxas mumbled, "I wonder if rum is any good?"

"Just because you lost, Roxas..." Naminé began in a giggle while he stared at her hard in the eye.

"That's not it-!" The three of them jumped as a loud bang caused by the overturning of Gibbs' table sounded. For no reason that they could see, more men began to join the wreckage by throwing bottles and pushing one another. It did not take long for all of the men in the room to join in on the brawl.

The four of them, including Jack, looked in the direction of the table to see who had started the chaos. The man responsible wore a smug expression as he stepped into the center of the room. "Come on, then!" He bellowed in a loud and drunken voice. "Who's first? Come at me! I'll take you all down one by one!"

Jack nodded at the teenagers in a sign to leave as he and Gibbs stood and made for the door. When they reached the foot of the stairs, something caught Naminé's eye. She pulled back her wrist as she stopped, causing Roxas, who had been holding her, to follow suit; Sora stopped by default.

"Keira? Elizabeth?" her soft voice attempted to call over the loudness around them. As she spoke, Elizabeth took a rum bottle from the man who had overturned Gibbs' table. Keira tilted back a bottle of her own before she and Elizabeth hit the man. The brawling men stilled and turned to look at the women, who had caused the pompous man to fall onto the floor.

Elizabeth announced, "Just wanted the pleasure of doing that myself!" The men roared their approval and lifted their mugs before several of them picked up the man and carried him up the stairs, past Naminé, Sora, and Roxas. Keira and Elizabeth joined them. Jack and Gibbs were nowhere to be found.

Keira grinned. "We meet again."

"How did the three of you get here?" asked Elizabeth with a smile, clearly pleased at what she had done.

"We could ask you the same thing," pointed out Sora. "And, ow," he added at what the two of them had done to the man.

"That was James Norrington, Sora, Roxas," informed Elizabeth. The name certainly _sounded _familiar... Sora blinked as realization dawned upon his and Roxas' faces. They were unsure of whether or not Elizabeth had told Keira about Norrington, or if she had simply elected to hit him because it seemed like fun. It would not have surprised them if it was the latter.

Jack reappeared at the top of the staircase. "Oi! We can't wait around for the lot of you forever!" He squinted to see who had joined his charges.

Now understanding how the wielders had arrived at Tortuga, she called, "Where's the man that I love?"

Jack was wearing a blank expression. "Elizabeth...?" He asked in an unsure voice, before continuing more smoothly, "You can wait to hear that, love. Zola,"

"That's Sora!" The five of them corrected.

Jack waved them off. "Yes, yes. There's a beautiful lass up here that's just asked me for you." Sora stared at him with confusion, but, before he could ask, Kairi herself pushed past Jack and raced down the stairs.

Sora met her halfway, throwing his arms around her. "Kairi!"

* * *

**A/N: I know that I've said Kairi wouldn't be making a return appearance, but this story's already made many changes, so what's one more? **


	30. The Terrifying Kraken

**A/N: **6.9.10**: Tried to shorten this to a length that isn't mind-numbing. **_**Tried **_**being the key word. I wonder how long this took to write, because it took a long time to edit.**

Old:** I really have to remember to change the summary. This story has taken such a complete and total turn compared to what it was supposed to be... xD Well, obviously it wasn't a change for the worst if people are still reading this thing.**

**Disclaimer-Say it with me: "Kingdom Hearts and Pirates do not belong to Lolli."**

* * *

Keira enjoyed the remainder of the night, watching the dark water as _The Pearl _sailed off to its next destination. She still managed to awake early the next morning and immediately joined Roxas and Naminé, for the reunited love birds were on the other side of the ship, talking. "It's selfish how Sora's keeping Kairi all to himself," joked Roxas, before starting a new subject. "I see you've become a cross-dresser, Keira. It's a good look for you."

At his words, she flushed. "Thanks, Roxas." She began to unbutton her shirt, and the other two cried in protest. They quickly calmed down when they saw that she had other clothes beneath, though she'd had to put her skirt back on in Jack's quarters. "Do you really think Will went willingly onto the _Dutchman_?" she asked them in a voice that suggested that she did not believe it. '_Why would Will offer to get the key? I guess there are reasons, but none that are completely logical.'_

"We weren't up, so we really don't have any reasons to believe otherwise," replied Roxas.

Keira raised an eyebrow. "You mean, besides the fact that Jack's a pirate?" She asked with a laugh. Several yells from the middle of the deck ended the discussion as they looked for the source of terror. Hovering in the air over them were strange white creatures that resembled sorcerers.

Naminé reacted first. "Sora, take Kairi out of sight!" Sora did not question her as he pulled Kairi into Jack's quarters and shut the door.

"Oi, would those Nobodies happen to be with you?" Jack asked of Naminé and Roxas, who shook their heads. "Ah. Well, this is definitely _not_ good." Gibbs, who was steering the ship, stared at the sky with apprehension.

Fenrir and Sleeping Lion, Chain of Memories, and Remembrance appeared in their respective owner's hands. As if the keyblades were a trigger, Heartless and more Nobodies appeared. The sound of metal on metal sounded as Jack and Elizabeth joined them. "I always did wonder what it was like to fight these... creatures," noted Elizabeth.

"Not fun," informed Keira told as she blocked a Samurai's sword.

Roxas glanced around at their enemies before ordering, "Samurai, join us." For a moment, it looked like they would listen, but the appearance of a portal in the center of the deck stopped them. Soon, Keira found herself surrounded by Samurai.

"Aw, c'mon..." she groaned, the amount of the Nobodies making it difficult to defend herself.

More than one figure appeared out of the portal: Demyx as well as the Berserker, Saïx. "Isn't it a little strange for a princess to be on a pirate ship?" wondered the Berserker, though Keira ignored him in favor of focusing on not being stabbed. Elizabeth and Jack helped lessen the numbers, slicing and shooting at them. Roxas, however, approached the Organization members.

"Roxas, why don't you come back with us?" nearly pleaded Demyx. "You're not part of Sora anymore." Roxas smirked; Demyx was the only other Organization member he had liked other than Axel.

"If I were to join you," he said in a slow, mock-considering voice, "I'd have to betray a lot of people that trust me. And I don't think I can or _will_." Saïx and Demyx exchanged a communicative, silent glance, knowing there was a simple way to get Roxas.

Saïx inclined his head. "We asked you nicely, Number XIII, but I'm afraid we'll just have to force you." At his words, quite a few more portals appeared on the deck as the Nobodies and Heartless disappeared. Keira's heart and stomach simultaneously clenched as she joined Naminé. Save three, the entire Organization was on the _Pearl_ as was Quince. Recalling their previous encounter and what had taken place directly after, Keira's hands clenched (though, a small voice reminded her, she might have not seen Aerith at all had he not shown up).

"Are you going to come peacefully now?" Marluxia, who was lurking just a foot away from the steering wheel, inquired with his maniacal grin. "Same goes for you, Princess." Oddly enough, the _Pearl's _entire crew had disappeared, and the unmanned ship moved straight. Jack, Elizabeth, Roxas, Keira, and Naminé were backed into a circle in the center of the deck.

"Any bright ideas, Roxas?" mumbled Keira.

Elizabeth somehow managed to hold her sword with steady hands. "Jack, you're the pirate here. Surely, you must have a plan."

"They aren't like people, they can't just die," sighed Roxas. "We're in a fix, especially without Sora."

"I say," Jack muttered, "To each his own. Pick your target and then attack, savvy?"

"Against eight of the strongest Nobodies known in all of the worlds?" whispered Naminé, clearly horrified at the idea.

"At least there's the one stupid keyblade wielder to make things slightly easier," added Keira in a grumbly.

Jack glanced at her. "Something tells me the two of you have had some type of romantic spark in the past."

Her cheeks immediately burned at the observation. "What? How do you know?"

"Experience, love."

Elizabeth intervened on both Keira's and her own behalves. "Enough talk. We must do something."

Roxas agreed. "On my count.: One, two, three!" The circle broke apart as everyone ran in a different direction to attack different Organization members.

Naminé reluctantly took on Demyx. Maybe a bit foolishly, Roxas took it upon himself to fight three: Xigbar, Zexion, and Xaldin. Elizabeth handled Larxene while Jack faced off against Saïx , who was slightly weakened without the aid of the moon, and Luxord. Perhaps the most reluctant, Keira took on both Quince and Marluxia Everything was chaos.

Keira quickly found why it was better to fight in numbers; she was being beat to pieces by the Graceful Assassin and keyblade wielder. Demyx came up with a brilliant idea, using his control over water to attack the ship with a huge wave. In theory, the idea was brilliant, but Demyx was never much good at fighting and, as a result, execution: he accidentally hit one of his own. The remainder of Nobodies departed into portals so that they were knocked into the ocean.

Saïx appeared on a higher part of the ship as did Quince, leaving Jack and company to face the waters. Elizabeth and Keira were promptly swept off of the ship, but Jack and Roxas were spared thanks to Naminé summoning her own portal. Elizabeth resurfaced quickly, but she realized she could no longer find Keira.

Demyx looked at Saïx and rubbed the back of his head. "Looks like I got a little bit carried away." He admitted, receiving a glare from Saïx, who had summoned a portal.

"Quince, go to that island. Demyx, come with me." He ordered in a stern voice. Demyx winced inwardly and half-heartedly followed, leaving Quinceto disappear into his own portal.

Naminé reopened a portal inside of Jack's quarters. The three of them were only a little bit wet, having gotten out before the wave had taken its full effect. Sora leapt up from where he was sitting beside Kairi. "What happened?"

"We're okay, but Elizabeth and Keira..." Roxas trailed off. "Demyx summoned a huge wave." He explained, watching as Jack and Naminé went back onto the deck. He followed and heard Sora and Kairi do the same. There was not a sign of either of them on the shop, but Jack easily spot Elizabeth struggling against the waves.

"Elizabeth!" shouted Roxas as everyone ran to the railing. "Swim toward the ship, Elizabeth!" The rough waters were clearly exhausting her, and she seemed to have enough trouble keeping herself afloat. Jack spared not a second thought as he stood on the railing and dove into the water.

"Jack!" The man in question appeared near Elizabeth, grabbed her around the waist, and towed her back toward the _Pearl_. As he climbed back aboard the ship, dragging Elizabeth up after him with the aid of Sora and Roxas, the crew finally resurfaced from beneath the deck.

Naminé cupped her hands around her mouth as her eyes scanned the dark waters. "Keira!" As if she had spoken the magic words, Keira resurfaced where Elizabeth had been gasping for air and coughing out water.

Sitting on the floor still, Elizabeth wildly searched her person as if she were looking for something. "Jack!" She gasped, grasping his arm, "Jack, the compass must have fallen out of my pocket when I went underwater." No one questioned why or how she had come to possess the compass as Jack hurriedly looked over the side of the ship.

"Princess, you couldn't dive for that compass, could you?" He shouted so Keira could hear him over the roaring of the ocean. Keira, having regained most of her air, threw the Captain a nasty glare, but dove back beneath the water. Kairi marched over to Jack with a bold look on her face. Before he could say a word, she brought up a hand, and the loud sound of skin on skin sounded. Jack rubbed his cheek and nodded. "I deserved that."

Keira searched the water to no avail. It was difficult enough to see, and, from what she could see, there was nothing of any importance nearby. Just as she was about to return to the surface, she found the small compass slowly sinking some feet in front of her. She kicked her feet and pushed back the water with her hands as she headed toward it, noticing that she was coming closer to the shallows as she did so. She used the last bit of energy she had to push herself and grasp the compass.

Once she felt the metal contraption in her hand, she kicked upward with desperation to inhale air. Her heart felt like it might explode as she used the remainder of her supply and... broke through the surface. When she noticed the sandy shore just before him, she nearly cried with relief and allowed the waves carry her onto the beach. Her hands seized fistfuls of sand as she coughed up water and rolled onto her back. She raised one of her arms into the air and admired the sandy compass as sunlight glinted off of it.

The longboat belonging to the _Pearl _was still in the distance, not quite at the beach yet. _'The water must be really rough if I got this far...' _When the ship hit the sand, the wielders jumped out, as did Jack, Elizabeth, and Norrington. Keira might have questioned how they all fit had her head not been pulsing with pain. Without sitting up, she threw the compass so that it landed right at Jack's feet.

Instead, a still waterlogged Elizabeth picked it up. She began to stride down the sand, staring at the compass with a thoughtful expression. Sora pulled Keira to her feet as the other keyblade wielders joined them, everyone appearing mostly unscathed from the short fight. Further down the beach, Jack was working hard at digging, but stopped abruptly when he hit something with a thud. He then began to dig a little more around it before reaching and pulling out a large box.

"Sora, I'll be needing your assistance soon. In fact, why don't the lot of you just come over here?"

"You weren't looking for this, were you?" A man's voice asked from behind them. Elizabeth turned on her heel at the familiar, pleasing sound of Will's voice, running into his arms.

"Oh, Will!" She looked up at him with a relieved expression while he grinned and brandished an odd-looking key.

The smile promptly slipped off of his face as he looked toward the _Peal's _captain. "I should thank you, Jack."

Jack blinked. "You should?"

"Yes. After you tricked me onto that godforsaken ship, I was reunited with my father."

Jack smiled. "Ah. You're welcome, then." The smile did not last long when a furious Elizabeth, Sora, Roxas, and Naminé glared at him. "_What_?"

"What?" repeated Jack, feigning innocence.

Sora frowned. "You said that it was an _accident_."

Jack attempted to come up with a good excuse. "Err... well, you see..."

Norrington rolled his eyes, snorting, "And you believed him?" Elizabeth had returned to the chest and easily broke the lock off of the box with the shovel. Everyone crowded around as she opened it. Letters and trinkets lined the top of the box, but, after sifting through the items, Jack pulled out a surprisingly small chest. No one spoke as the beating of a heart sounded.

"Well, I suppose we'll no longer need the assistance of your blades," remarked Jack.

"Every word you said to me," Elizabeth growled. "Every word was a lie." Jack turned toward her, and the two began a very short conversation that the teenagers did not quite understand. At least, most of them didn't. Keira thought she might have a decent idea.

The captain ended the conversation in time to see Will draw a knife as he pulled the chest toward him. "What are you doing?"

"I'm going to kill Davy Jones." Jack drew his sword and placed it at the crook of Will's neck.

"I can't let you do that, William. If Jones is dead, then who'll call his little beastie off?" Will did not argue and allowed his knife to drop into the sand. Jack outstretched his hand. "If you please, I'll be taking the key." William reached, leading the others to believe he was about to comply, but he did not reach into his pocket or on his person. Instead of giving up the key, without moving his eyes or head, he unsheathed Elizabeth's blade and pointed it at Jack.

With a sour smile, he said, "I keep my promises; I will free my father." Jack sighed as he pointed his blade right back at Will, and all of the keyblades appeared. Naminé and Kairi pointed theirs at Jack's neck.

"You lied to us," remarked Naminé in her version of a snarl. "Will is going to open that chest, stab that heart, and free his father."

Norrington unsheathed his own weapon and pointed it at Naminé. "I can't let you do that either, my apologies." He promptly moved his blade to Jack, but Sora, Roxas and Keira already had their keyblades pointed at him.

"You want that chest for Beckett," accused Sora, "To get your rank back."

Norrington nodded, surprised at the boy's intelligence. "You are quite right, how clever." His blade moved to Sora. The unarmed Elizabeth backed off a little.

"I _will _redeem myself!" roared Norrington, surprising everyone when he swung his sword at Jack, only to have the move parried by Sora. Naminé, Kairi, and Will began to fight against Jack instead. Keira raised her eyebrows as the group moved further into the island in a fruitless battle over a beating heart.

Elizabeth followed them, but not completely. She was still some feet away when she began to yell at everyone for fighting. The distraction of everyone left the chest and key for anyone to snatch. And a certain black-haired boy did not waste his time in seizing the opportunity. With full knowledge that at least one person was watching him, Quince tucked the key away, took the chest, and ran.

Elizabeth stopped her shouting long enough to notice him take off. As loud as she could, she screamed, "Will! Jack! Norrington!" All three turned to look, causing Roxas to knock the former commodore's blade out of his hand. Soon, all of them turned to watch Quince disappear.

Keira did not waste another moment and ran after him. After she had already made it into a forest, the shock wore off of the others, who instantly followed her. "Firaga!" She exclaimed, setting fire to the trees before Quince, and ultimately blocking him from moving further. He turned around as she stopped near him.

"Now what?" He asked her in a mocking voice. "Are you going to fight me for this dumb chest?"

Keira glared at him. "For the chest? I guess. Just because I feel like it? Absolutely." She rushed him with her keyblade, but he disappeared in a moment's notice. Quince hurled the chest (with its key inside of the lock) behind him as he summoned his keyblade. A clear barrier formed around them, blocking anyone else from interfering and stopping either of them from leaving. She only spared the barrier a glance. "I guess you learn new tricks when you work for a witch, huh?"

"Stefa, Stefa," sighed Quince as he shook his head. "You were always one for big talk, but you could never back it up."

"Ooh, aren't we one to talk?" She charged at him again and swung Remembrance, but he parried her with ease and pushed her away.

The others finally caught up and Jack instantly dove at the chest, which had been tossed outside of the barrier. He picked it up, saluted the others, and ran deeper into the island. Will and James spared no one a second thought before they ran after him; the wielders and Elizabeth were reluctant to follow suit until growls and the stampede of footsteps sounded behind them. When they turned, they notice horrifying, and grotesque-looking men. Could they even be called men? Many of them had coral and the like growing on them, and nearly all of them appeared at least somewhat fish-like.

"Err... we better go warn the others," decided Sora as he took Kairi's hand and ran. Elizabeth followed after them, as did Roxas and Naminé after a moment of hesitation.

**XxxxxX**

Inside of the barrier, the two clashing keyblade wielders were at a stalemate. Quince, though he hated to admit it, couldn't find it in him to beat Keira into the ground. Meanwhile, she felt at least slightly irritated that the others had not stuck around to see if they could help. She tried to ignore the resentment and focus on the fight instead. Furious at what was left of the light in his heart, Quince seized her by the neck and slammed her against a tree. With his free hand, he grabbed part of her hair.

"_What_ do you think you're doing?"

"Shut up or else I'll pull on it," was Quince's shockingly childish response. "You're so stupid," he continued as his eyes scanned her hair. "You probably don't even know what the black in your hair means."

"Of course I do! I put it in my hair myself."

Quince rolled his eyes. "No." He continued with a smirk, "Obviously, you're an odd girl. Clearly, you haven't looked at your reflection in a while. How much black was in your hair before?"

"It was... in stripes," she mumbled, though she did not know why she was telling him this. If he really was her friend, then he would have already known that. Keira muttered. Remembrance disappeared from her grip.

"Well, that's not how it is anymore, stupid. Now there's black halfway up your head. I kind of wonder why your so-called 'friends' didn't point that out to you."

Her eyes narrowed into a glare. "You're one to talk about friends, acting like you know what the word means."

Quince ignored her remark altogether as, surprisingly, the barrier disappeared. "The black in your hair has to do with your heart. The more darkness that fills your heart, the more black covers your hair; your eyes become less friendly, and your personality and heart both slip away. Keep that in mind." A black portal appeared behind him as he took his hands off of her and backed into it, disappearing instantly. There was something in his eyes as she left. Sadness? Concern? Keira was not sure, but she was almost positive that she had seen _something_.

Once he was gone, she felt her hair, face, and throat. _'Is that it? Is more darkness starting to inhabit me so that I'm not really me anymore? But... why would that even happen?'_ Again, she felt anger rise up in her chest. The others, she thought, were holding out on her. All along, they had known more about her than she did herself, yet they continuously refused to tell her anything unless they decided it was a good idea. Keira's hands clenched into fists as she hit the tree.

She gave herself some time to calm down before leaving that spot and searching for the others, though, despite her best efforts, she could not find them. They would likely be fighting again (or still), so, when she did not hear even the hint of battle, she returned to the longboat. Fortunately, when the beach came into view, she saw the others fighting off sea people. She recalled Remembrance and, ignoring all spiteful thoughts from before, rushed in to help her friends.

"We're not getting out of this," complained Elizabeth after knocking back another one of Jones' men.

Norrington shook his head. "Not with the chest, get in the boat." Elizabeth did a double take, giving him a look like she had never seen him before as he picked up the chest.

"You're mad!"

He ignored her and started away from them. "Leave, don't come back for me." He was easy bait; the pirates followed after him right away.

Jack watched the man getting smaller and smaller. "Let's respect his final wish, shall we?"

"Aye!" All present in the group shouted. Weapons were thrown into the boat as everyone climbed in.

**XxX**

They returned to the _Pearl _with no trouble. An unconscious Will (who had, apparently, been knocked out by one of the pirates) lay on the ground with Elizabeth hovering over him. Keira watched them for a moment before running her fingers through her hair, a concentrative look on her face. She now found herself wishing that she had thought to look at her reflection in the water on the island. "You've been acting weird since we left the island, is everything okay?" asked Kairi from beside her, startling the girl.

Keira looked to her, her lips pursed a little. "Quince told me that my hair become more black as the darkness in my heart expands. H-he told me that as my heart becomes filled with more darkness, everything about me changes," she mumbled. "I know... that my heart is abnormal. Leon and the King have hammered that into my head well enough, but what Quince suggested... That's crazy, right?"

Kairi contemplated her words before resting a hand on Keira's arm. "He could have been lying. After all, he is working under Maleficent."

Keira shook her head. "But no one really knows about this, no one understands my heart completely. What if he somehow knows something?" She turned her gaze toward Jack, who was, for some odd reason, carrying a jar of dirt. "Kairi, why is Jack carrying that?"

Kairi also turned her gaze on him and slowly shook her head. "Pirates." Keira giggled and, once more, the negative thoughts flew out of her mind. _'Still,' _she thought, feeling uncomfortable despite her happy expression, _'why does this keep happening? I used to completely trust Sora and the others. I was always accepting of everything they said and did. Now, I'm...'_

The thoughts were driven further from her mind as Sora, Roxas and Naminé joined them. "Looks like Jack doesn't have to run from Davy Jones anymore." Sora's words were spoken too soon for, in that moment, the ocean exploded beside them as a ship rose from beneath the water.

Kairi pressed herself against Sora. "What's that?"

Fenrir and Oblivion materialized in Roxas's hands as he smirked. "Looks like you jinxed us, Sora; that's the _Dutchman_."

"Lord of mine, deliver us." Gibbs crossed himself and took a swig from his flask. The pirates on the _Dutchman _roared and cackled at the horrified expressions of those on the_ Pearl._

Jack stroked over the railing. "I'll handle this. Oi, fish face," He called to Davy Jones as he held up his jar of dirt. "Lose something? Eh?" Jack was moving sideways, and, as he began to talk some more, he fell down the stairs and onto the deck.

"Ouch." Naminé winced, but Jack stood up right away as he held the jar over his head.

"Got it!" He called to his crew before facing Jones again. "Come to negotiate, eh, slimy git? Look what I got. I got a jar of dirt; I got a jar of dirt, and guess what's inside it?" he sang.

Davy Jones had seen enough of the idiocy, wrenching his claw-like hand up. The cannons in the side of his ship opened up. Everyone on that side of the _Pearl _backed away.

Jack's face was frozen with shock. Elizabeth waited for him to move or say something, but he did not. "Hard to starboard!" She ordered as she ran forward to command the crew. Gibbs was turning the wheel as fast as he could to get away from the _Dutchman_, but he could not move fast enough; Davy Jones shouted commands at his crew, and the cannons began to fire. Jack's quarters received the first blow, which destroyed them.

The _Pearl _moved faster and faster, beginning to leave the _Dutchman _behind, but it was still quite close to them. Too close. More cannons fired, hitting several of the crew and forcing Sora and the others to duck. Gibbs also ducked, and Jack finally came back to reality, taking over steering as he clutched the jar to his chest.

Sora stood back up to find the _Dutchman _way in the distance; he grinned at Kairi and helped her stand. "We've lost 'er." He patted the railing of the _Black Pearl _fondly.

"Yes, we have," agreed Will, who had come to shortly before the _Dutchman _first fired. He looked troubled, but his face softened as he turned toward Sora. "You must be Sora's girlfriend," he said, not having the opportunity to get acquainted back on the beach. "I'm Will Turner, it's a pleasure." He took her hand and gently kissed it.

Kairi blushed as a smile adorned her lips. "I'm Kairi. It's nice to meet you, Will, Sora told me a lot about you and Elizabeth."

Will's concern did not escape Roxas. "What's got you so worried, Will?"

"I don't think Jones is planning up on giving up that easily."

Someone from further up in the sails announced, "They're giving up!" Roars of excitement filled the _Pearl_, and Will, clearly not buying it, joined Jack. "My father is on that ship, Jack. We can take 'er!

Jacked placed his precious jar on the railing. "Why fight when you can negotiate?" The _Pearl _shook violently, forcing everyone onto their backs. Sora grabbed the railing as well as Kairi's arm; Keira did so a beat late and fell onto her behind. Naminé and Roxas, being clever, automatically seized the railing. Jack had not anticipated the trouble as the jar hit the deck with a loud crash. Sand exploded everywhere, along with shards of glass. He quickly ran down the steps and dug through the sand. "Where is it?"

"Where's what, Jack?" called Sora.

"The heart, Davy Jones's heart!" Jack stopped searching the sand, his body frozen as he stared into the darkening sky, the look of realization on his face.

"Musta hit a reef," mumbled one of the crew. Keira, Naminé, Roxas, Kairi, and Elizabeth looked over the side of the ship; something certainly seemed to be going on below the water.

Will's face visibly paled as he recalled being on a ship where the same thing had happened before. In fact, this had taken place after he got off of the _Dutchman _when Jones was searching for the key he had stolen. "No, it's not. Get away from the rail!" He pulled Elizabeth into the center of the deck.

Keira fixed him with a curious stare as she and the others followed. "What is it?"

"The Kraken." Jack appeared to have heard him, for he looked up with horror clear on his face. Will disappeared below the deck, and the cannons opened as tentacles slowly crept up the ship.

Keira looked from one person to the other. "The Kraken?" Having not grown up on an island, she never heard of such a creature.

"It's a legendary sea creature," informed Naminé. "It's huge. The suctions on its tentacles are supposed to be able to suck your face off..." Keira became quite disturbed at the thought. Crewmen lined up on the sides of the deck with spears.

"We're fighting it?" whimpered Kairi, looking to Sora, who nodded. They joined the rest of the crew with their keyblades. The tentacles moved faster and faster up the _Pearl_. Keira watched the movement of the tentacles and backed off a little "It's going to take the ship."

"Will?" Elizabeth asked as she, too, backed away from the side of the ship. There was no reply. She called him again, and there was still no reply. Finally, she screamed his name and the cannons went off. The tentacles were blasted backward, but some of them still hit the ship, breaking through the railing and snapping bodies. The tentacles receded, and most of the crew cheered.

Roxas did not seem ready to believe they had won. "I think we only made it angry."

"We have to get off." Will told Elizabeth and the wielders in a low voice.

Naminé turned around as she searched for their only hopes of escape. "There... aren't any b-boats."

Will took charge once more, and Sora began to wonder why Jack, as captain, was not doing anything. He handed Elizabeth a rifle and turned to face the teenagers. "You guys can use fire magic, right? Whatever you do, don't miss."

"There's not enough powder!" Gibbs told Will as he appeared from beneath the deck.

William looked at him and suggested something that would have been obvious to anyone who was not a pirate: "Load the rum." The crew fell silent for a moment as they contemplated the loss.

After a moment, Gibbs finally agreed, "Aye, the rum too!" Grudgingly, the crew began to throw their beloved rum in the net.

"Sora, we can fly," reminded Naminé, and he contemplated the idea for a moment before shaking his head. "We can't just abandon them. We'll have to stay and fight." Roxas and Sora disappeared below deck to assist, leaving the girls to sit on the idea. _'They're our friends,' _remembered Keira and knew, from the look on the other two's faces, they thought the same.

"Hey, where did Jack ever go?" wondered Kairi. Elizabeth walked across the ship, pausing in mid-step when she saw Jack rowing away in their only longboat. "Coward." Another violent rumble shook the ship and, once again, the girls fell.

Keira pushed herself back up, gripping her keyblade so tightly that it hurt. "It's back already?" A roaring sounded as tentacles rose from underwater again and struck every part of the ship that they could, taking bodies and smashing anything in the vicinity.

"W-we have to be r-ready." Kairi's hands were visibly shaking.

"Maybe we can hold them off with our Keyblades?" Naminé suggested.

Keira bit her lip. "It's worth a shot, right?" She and Naminé ran forward to strike at the flailing tentacles, but a hesitant Kairi remained where she was standing.

"Wait!" she cried, too late as the other two struck at the tentacles. "It won't work!" There were horrible cries and screams as men were seized by the Kraken and taken away. Keira's blade made contact with a tentacle, and, instead of her landing a hit, it wrapped around her keyblade. It did not have to pull very hard to get her off of her feet, and she was soon dragged across the deck with Naminé right beside her.

Kairi thought she might faint. "Naminé! Keira!"

Will ordered, "Kairi! Elizabeth! Go, shoot!" His footing had become caught in the netting, and neither of them would follow through. Roxas and Sora came onto the deck just in time to see Naminé and Keira disappear from view.

"Naminé!" Roxas attempted to reach over the side of the ship for her hand, but she was too far. Without a second thought, he plunged into the water. Meanwhile, Will had managed to disentangle himself, and Elizabeth and Kairi were trying to get a good shot. Elizabeth was about to shoot when a tentacle seized her foot and pulled her into the Jack's room. Fortunately, Ragetti was waiting and freed her with his axe.

A frantic Elizabeth returned to the deck in time to see a man with her gun taken by the kraken' the gun was flung to another part of the deck. She crawled to it but was stopped by a foot. Desperately, she tried to pry it off, and looked up to see Jack was the one standing on her weapon. He picked it up and Elizabeth locked her arms around his leg as he took aim. "Sora, prepare yourself, mate." Sora turned toward Jack with a grin as he raised Kingdom Key.

"Ready, Kairi?" She nodded and raised Oathkeeper. "On three, use firaga One. Two." The tentacles were wrapping even more around the powder and rum. "Three! Firaga!" Large jolts of fire flew through the air alongside Jack's bullet, resulting in a great explosion. Fire spread across the deck as the Kraken cried and withdrew its ligaments.

Roxas caught up with the girls beneath the water quite quickly and, fortunately, the only thing the tentacles were gripping was the keyblades. He pried Naminé's hands off of Chain of Memories, causing it to disappear, and searched for Keira. Had he not been underwater, he would have cursed; Keira was not in sight, and Naminé was too pale to be healthy. There was no way he could wait and search.

"Roxas," called Will from nearby. Roxas noted his luck at resurfacing near a longboat, which already housed Will and only a few members of the crew, including Gibbs. Cotton pulled Naminé into the boat before helping Will grab Roxas.

"Abandon ship?" he guessed.

"You don't want to see the bodies on the ship anyway, mate," assured Will as Kairi and Sora joined them.

Kairi's eyes scanned the boat for half a second. "Where's Keira?" Roxas stared into his lap and shook his head. Elizabeth was the last to join them and, at her appearance, Will spoke in a truly unkind voice, inquiring about Jack's whereabouts.

"He'd like to stay behind and give us a chance," she answered, but Roxas felt skeptical. She looked guilty and sounded heartbroken; then again, he supposed, he might have been projecting his own emotions. As the boat rowed away, they watched in horror as the Kraken engulfed the _Pearl _with its entire being. It did not take very long for it to pull the _Black Pearl _and its captain to the depths of the sea.

Sora stared at the space where the boat had been with sadness, and mumbled, "Jack."

**XxxxxX**

By nightfall, what was left of the _Pearl's_ crew had reached Tia Dalma's shack. The priestess was a sight to see, her dark hair in dreads, though her normally mischievous expression had been replaced with one of sadness. Everyone in the room had a glass, and Gibbs raised his. "To Jack Sparrow."

"The best pirate to sail the seas!" Sora and Roxas chorused before they took a few sips from their mugs. Naminé, who was now awake, nodded her agreement with Kairi, though neither drank.

"If there was anything that could be done to bring him back, would you do it?" Tia Dalma asked the room at large. "Would you sail to de ends of the sea to bring 'im back?"

"Aye!" Everyone agreed, though Will was the very last to do so.

"If you were to follow through, you'd need a captain who could handle such an adventure." A thumping of boots sounded from the second story as she spoke, and a familiar, scarred, face appeared with a monkey perched on his shoulder.

Roxas and Sora immediately jumped as Barbossa asked, with a smirk, "What's become of my ship?" Neither wielder wasted their time in summoning their weapons.

"Aye. I remember you, lad," he said to Sora. "Come, now, I don't mean no harm. I'll be helping you get to the World's End."

Though they were curious beyond belief as to how Barbossa, whom they both recalled killing, was standing before them, they called off their keyblades. As they faced the crew, Will spoke first,"Sora, it's been nice seeing you. It'll take us a while to get there, and you have a job to continue doing. Drop by later, won't you?"

"It was a great pleasure meeting you all," said Elizabeth as she raised her mug. "To all of you, and Keira as well."

"Aye!" All of the pirates in the room agreed and followed suit.

"We'll see you soon." Sora said, waving, as he and the others moved to the center of the room and transported back to their Gummi ship.

"We should... go back to the Radiant Garden." Roxas murmured, though he clearly did not want to. The loss of Jack and Keira weighed heavily on their shoulders, particularly Roxas'.

Sora collapsed behind the steering wheel. "We'd better hope that Cloud doesn't ring our necks."

**XxxxxX**

Keira had been pushed to the beach of an island thanks to the rough waves. She awoke, coughed some water out of her system, and stared into the horizon, though there was nothing to see. The night sky was dark over her head. "Come, Princess. We have a special cell waiting for you in the World That Never Was," remarked Saïx from behind her. She did not make any movement to show she had heard him, but she also did not try to get away from him. Somehow, she found herself waiting for the others to come after her. To help her. "That wretched captain, Jack Sparrow, has been dragged to the depths of the sea by the Kraken." Still, she did not move, still holding onto a fool's hope. She heard what he was not saying: "Your friends, they've already left you behind."

* * *

**A/N: Well, I am **_**finally**_** done with Pirates. Haha, I can't wait until I have to do At World's End, which hopefully I will have on my iPod by then, too. Very useful, you know. Anyway, poor Keira. D: You trade one Princess for another, I guess. See you next chapter!**


	31. Agrabah

**A/N: **6.9.10**: Today is turning out to be a great exercise for my eyes. Did some simple editing but also expanded the scene with Elie, Sora and the others. **

Old: **My goodness, guys, I didn't realize how long that last chapter was. It was over 7000 words, actually. xDD That's what you get for writing all day, I guess. I have absolutely no life, I know. And, I'm sorry for the late update. My grandma was admitted to the hospital yesterday, and after my grandfather passed away in February, I'm taking no more chances with missing visits.** **Anyway, you may be curious to know that the reason I updated so fast was because I'm leaving for vacation next friday. x.x And I kind of wanted this finished before I left, so I'm going to update as fast as possible.**

* * *

Aerith had taken all of the noise of the Radiant Garden with her to the grave, which was both a good and bad thing. Good in that it meant that there was no trouble, but bad because most of the Committee had also become uncharacteristically quiet. The only evil present in the peaceful world were the neighborhood Heartless, so when the keyblade wielders returned, Merlin, who was moving furniture with his magic, was quite surprised. "Ah, back so soon?" He asked as he set the chalkboard against a wall before facing the group and cleaning his glasses. When he put them back on, he gasped. "Ah, Kairi! How on Earth did she get back with you, Sora?"

Sora rubbed the back of his head. "Luck, I guess. Some Keyblade wielder on Maleficent's side helped Kairi out."

Merlin examined them. "The four of you look... terrible. And so very upset. Might I ask what happened in the last world you were in?" He paused before looking over the group again. "Where's Keira?"

"In the last world we were in, Port Royal," Naminé began with a heavy heart, "A friend of ours, Captain Jack Sparrow, was taken down to the depths of the sea by the hands of the Kraken." She sighed. "While we were under attack by it, Keira was dragged under and we... couldn't find her."

Merlin scratched his forehead. "This is... no good." He concluded dumbly, at a loss for words. "The Kraken, you said? That is one hideous monster, yes indeed..."

Eager to get off the subject, Roxas asked, "Where are the others?"

"Out and about. It _is_ day time here, my dear boy. I suppose you'll want to tell the others your news firsthand?" They nodded as they exited the house, each trying to hold back the feeling of tremendous guilt, particularly Roxas.

Their first stop was the Marketplace for the sake of restocking supplies. It was strange to be wandering around the Radiant Garden with the knowledge that they would not bump into Aerith. Instead, they found Denzel and Marlene sitting outside of an ice cream shop with cones. "Marlene! Denzel!" The two turned around at the sound of Kairi's voice.

"Oh, hi!" Marlene smiled as she licked some of her ice cream.

"What're you guys doing back here so soon?" Denzel asked.

Sora grinned. "Can't we drop by just because we feel like it?"

"Not when you were here just a few days ago." The boy stated, folding his arms; his attitude was a mixture of Leon and Cloud.

"Where is everyone?" asked Kairi.

Marlene beamed. "Oh, Kairi's back! Wait, where's Keira?"

"She decided to stay behind in Port Royal with the pirates," answered Roxas with ease. Naminé, Kairi, and Sora glanced at him quickly but recovered all the same.

"Oh." Marlene returned to her ice cream.

Denzel decided to help them out. "Everyone else is in the lab."

**XxxxxX**

Keira gazed around as rain fell onto her already soaked clothing, wondering if the sky was always dark in this world. Her eyes finally stopped as a golden, heart-shaped moon reflected in them. "Kingdom Hearts, you'll be helping us take control of it." She said nothing at his comment nor did she struggle against his grip. Her eyes returned to the asphalt, though, soon, they were staring at a clear blue bridge. When she glanced up again, she took in the castle's appearance, and then she realized it.

She had dreamt of this particular castle and the moon before, and she had been filled with knowledge about it. How? She did not know. There was something... Her eyes flew down to her chest, where her heart was, and questioned its strangeness once more. For the first time, she struggled against Saïx, but he had no trouble holding her. "Ah, so you've heard about this place before. Unfortunately for you, you're in too deep to back out."

**XxxxxX**

When Sora and the others arrived outside of the Study's door, they wondered why they had bothered running; it was not like they were exactly eager to share their news. They entered the room to find it quite tidy, a reminder of its previous owner, the man who had given his life to put an end to Organization XIII. A sad reminder indeed, given the Nobodies were alive and well once more. They entered the hallway outside of the study and found the Radiant Garden Committee (and Riku) hovering in the lab. Again, Sora was reminded, sadly, of Aerith from when he, Donald and Goofy had been in Tron's world.

They did not announce their presence, but they did not need to. "Back so soon?" asked Leon.

Riku strode across the room and stopped before his best friends. "Kairi? How?" She smiled and embraced him.

When they parted, she answered his question. "I had help from someone, a keyblade wielder working under Maleficent, though she didn't seem to like it much. Elie, that was her name." Something else came to mind. "Oh, that's right! The night I escaped, I noticed that the princesses, who were in the cell next to me, were gone. They couldn't have escaped, but I was asleep when they disappeared, so I can't be sure."

"Which princesses?" Sora asked, surprised that Kairi hadn't mentioned this earlier. He supposed they had been quite busy with Port Royal, his favorite world.

"Um... Aurora, Alice, Cinderella, Belle, and Snow White."

"That's one way to do a process of elimination," noted Roxas. "I guess we know where we're going next."

"The four of you look terrible," observed Riku as he looked them over. "Besides how dishveled you are, you guys almost look like you've been crying. What-?" But Riku cut himself off as realization dawned upon him. The room became quiet as the others seemed to notice the same thing.

With a suspicion that Riku could no longer speak, Tifa brought herself to be the one to ask: "What happened to Keira?" The wielders stared at the floor with clear guilt.

"We might as well tell you what happened while we were in Port Royal," decided Sora.

**XxxxxX**

Keira found her new home quite fitting: a jail cell. Unlike Kairi's, there were only bars and no walls, so she had no hopes of any type of privacy, though she was alone. At least, she thought she was alone. As the cell door flew open, a familiar blond stood in her line of vision. "I told you before that you might as well have given in. Looks like you did, too. I _might_ feel pity for you... if I had a heart. Anyway, Maleficent wants to see you, so come on." Keira followed her without a word as they ascended stair after stair.

"Geez," Larxene said after a while of silence, "Have you gone mute, now, too?" She shook her head. "No, that's not it. You're giving up. Your friends turned their backs on you and now you've given up." Keira clenched her hands into fists, but did not argue the point. "Pathetic. Here we are." They had stopped outside of a large, ornate door, which Larxene knocked on thrice.

A voice growled from within, "Who's there?" With a jolt, Keira realized it was Maleficent.

"Number XII with the Princess, m'am," answered Larxene, dislike clearly etched on her face as she kept her tone civil.

"Let her in."

"You heard her, go in." Keira entered the door, which opened automatically, and heard it zip behind her. The first thing she noticed was the motif of the room, which was covered in black thorns. Maleficent was seated on a white throne with the same thorns encircling it.

"Ah, Princess Keira," began the witch with a smile full of malice. "Please, sit down." She signaled to a black chair before her, which Keira half-heartedly sat in the chair. "Ah, no hesitation? Does this mean you'll help us?" No response. Maleficent's face contorted into one of understanding and pity. "My dear," her tone sounded almost motherly. "Your friends turned their backs on you. They left you for dead. You were very lucky to have floated to shore like you did." Magnificent watched Keira's expression change contort, briefly, to one of anger. She could see the emotional turmoil within the girl's heart. "You gave those Nobodies hearts and what did they do? They let the Kraken drag you under. You owe nothing to those fools. Where were they when you were struggling against Quince? They did not even pretend like they cared. They didn't even see if there was anything could do, did they?"

Another was hanging around outside, her ear pressed to the door as she listened. "In fact," Elie heard Maleficent drawl, "I bet anything that you would like to get back at those fools; I can help you."

Elie's stomach clenched and she decided she'd heard enough as she pulled away from the door just to find herself face to face with a bright-eyed Demyx. "You were interested, too? It's always fun to listen in on one of Maleficent's little meetings."

Elie forced a grin. "You're right. You don't, by any chance, know what fools she was referring to?"

Demyx frowned. "In what context?"

"She said something about someone letting whoever's in there get dragged under by the Kraken..."

Though she spoke cryptically, Demyx seemed to know what she was talking about. "Roxas and Naminé. You know, Roxas used to be number thirteen of Organization XIII, dead last," he said in a matter-of-fact voice that was very unlike him. "And then probably the others, too: Sora, and... Kairi."

"Really? Imagine that."

"Actually, I think she knows Axel, too. He was number eight in the Organization. He and Roxas were best friends and probably still are." Elie smirked inwardly as his words started a plan in her mind.

"Honestly?" asked Elie with feigned disgust. "They're traitors to the Organization, then? I can't _stand_ people like that. Where would I find Axel and Roxas?"

Demyx placed his fingers on his chin as he considered. "Well, I think Axel was in the Radiant Garden. Roxas is with the others, so he might not be back there, yet."

Elie nodded all the same. "Thanks, Demyx. You were a big help, as always." She said as she summoned a black-purple portal. "See you later." With that, she disappeared into darkness.

Demyx did a two finger salute. "No problem!" He called after her although she couldn't hear him as he walked off with a smile. "Well, that was pleasant."

**XxxxxX**

"The Kraken took 'er?" Cid asked and others nodded, to which the pilot whistled.

Riku pinched the bridge of his nose. "I'm sorry," apologized Roxas. Though things had never been exactly amazing between the two of them, Sora knew this would stick a further wedge between Roxas and Riku. "It's my fault, but I... had to help Naminé." A small voice reminded him that he could have easily dove back underwater after Naminé was safe and he knew, by the look on his face, that Riku felt the same.

Instead, all he said was, "You did what you had to." Meanwhile, a portal appeared in the hallway between the lab and study, and Elie followed it to the sound of Riku's voice.

"Excuse me, but who here is named Roxas and Axel?" Her appearance was strange, but not strange for a keyblade wielder **(A/N: If you haven't noticed, every Keyblade wielder seems to have a taste in style that's different from everyone else. xD Aside from Naminé.) **Leon pulled out his Gunblade.

Cloud pointed his Buster Sword at her. "Who are you, and how did you get in here?" His voice was quiet, but she did not miss the unspoken throat in it.

Elie held up her hands in a defensive position. "Whoa, there, calm down. I came here to help, believe it or not."

Kairi gasped, finally getting a good look at her. "Elie." The brunette gazed past the offensive men and caught sight of the familiar girl. Her clothes were slightly ripped and, distantly, Kairi wondered if it was from the fight with Zexion; somewhat fresh wounds were on her face and beneath the ripped cloth.

"Princess Kairi, glad to see you're alright."

Sora moved to the front of the group. "Calm down, guys, this is the girl that helped Kairi get out of the World that Never Was." Leon and Cloud both sheathed their weapons after Yuffie and Tifa insisted, simply on Sora's word, that the girl could be trusted.

"Axel, at your service." The man in question stepped away from the computer to make his presence known. He still wore his Organization cloak, causing Elie to do a double-take.

"And Roxas," added the blond said as he, too, revealed himself.

"Well, since I've found you two, I've found the right group." Elie sighed, blowing her thick bangs away from her forehead for a moment. "Another friend of yours is at the World that Never Was." The energy in the room immediately picked up.

"Keira?" Riku asked, taking a few steps closer to her.

"Ah, well _that _makes sense!" noted Elie, almost wanting to hit herself in the forehead. "Maleficent's easily turning her against you."

"We're still not all that sure about Keira's heart." King Mickey spoke up from his spot on part of the computer, "But we do know if she's turned to darkness, she can easily help Maleficent take control of all the worlds."

"We've got to go and save her," decided Cloud.

"Not so fast, Chocobo head," replied Elie. "They'll fry you the instant you step in; the World that Never Was is infested with more Heartless and Nobodies than ever before. Besides, it'll be _my_ head if you go marching on in..."

Riku narrowed his eyes at her. "That's your problem." Elie frowned, feeling great dislike for him immediately.

"Sora, you said that the Organization wanted Roxas to join them again?" asked Axel as he recalled part of Sora's story about Port Royal. "I have an idea of how to free Keira and the others. Roxas and I are going to have to pretend to join the Organization."

"What?" All in the room exclaimed aside from Elie, Roxas, and the one who proposed the idea.

Roxas' eyes stared without focusing as he went over the idea in his head. "It's the best idea we have. This way, we can keep an eye on the other princesses, too, and Sora can go check on Jasmine and Aladdin without more or less trouble."

"Are you crazy?" gasped Naminé. "I know that you feel immensely guilty about Keira, but Roxas, you can't do this." He took his hands into his, and her protests quieted.

"Actually, I can," he pointed out with a smirk, "But we'll be okay; we know how to handle the Organization. At least, Axel does."

Tifa still seemed skeptical. "You'll have quite the job convincing Sephiroth."

"Don't worry," said Axel with a grin, "If we can convince the Superior, we can convince anybody."

"It's just crazy enough to work," agreed Elie.

Riku still did not seem ready to trust her. "Why should we believe you? How do we know you're not going to turn in Axel and Roxas the minute they set foot in the castle?"

"Hm, he _does _bring up a good point. Why are you helping, anyway?" wondered Kairi. "Not that I'm not appreciative for what you did for me."

Elie was quite sure she had never sighed so much in her entire life. "I guess you have every reason to be wary, so I _could _be honest..."

Naminé's eyes widened as her mind finally made a connection with Elie's name. She recalled going after Keira after Axel upset her, and talking with her in the Dark Depths, now infamous as the sight of Aerith's death. Back then, Keira had been worrying over the fates of her family and friends, one of those friends being... "You know Keira," she realized.

No one was more shocked than Elie, though everyone stared at Naminé with surprise. "How... did you know that?"

"Keira mentioned your name to me. She thought that your heart had been lost to the darkness with the rest of her family and friends," recalled Naminé. "If you show yourself to her... you might be able to save her, too, Elie."

Elie had, admittedly, not considered that thought. She nodded, a silent promise to keep the idea alive, as she turned toward Riku with a mischievous grin and raised eyebrow. "So, trust me now?"

**XxX**

Later, in the World that Never Was, Axel and Roxas found themselves walking through the familiar wet streets. Elie had used her own portal so as to not look suspicious; she had already gotten into one fight with Zexion, a losing one at that, and she did not need another. They were surprised when they passed Memory's Skyscraper without meeting a single Heartless or Nobody. "Is it just me or is something not right here?" muttered Axel.

"This place is always filled to the brim with at least Shadows, yet I haven't seen a single one," observed Roxas, "Too easy."

Axel grinned as he stared at the looming castle. "Maybe they know that we're joining up with them again." After another block or so, they finally found themselves before the Castle That Never Was, which, from the outside, looked the same as it always had. **(A/N: This is unnecessary, but I love that name. It's like 'You don't see a castle here, it's your imagination. Anyway, sorry.) **"Ah, it's been too long. Ready, partner?"

Roxas smirked. "Let's do it."

**XxxxxX**

"So, we're going to Agrabah?" Kairi asked as she climbed into the chair beside Sora while Riku took the chair on the other side of him. Naminé sat in the chair behind him.

"We have to go check on Princess Jasmine," answered Riku who, admittedly, felt slightly more at ease knowing that Axel and Roxas would be with Keira. Also knowing that Elie was Keira's friend from her own world eased his concern a little. The fact that she _was _from Keira's world, though, yet was with Maleficent still did not sit right with him. He did not voice these thoughts as he said, "Maleficent only needs two more Princesses now..."

Sora's hands gripped the steering wheel tighter. "She won't get her hands on Kairi again."

"Not with us around," agreed Naminé.

Riku glanced at her with a smirk. "We'll have to keep our eyes on you, too. Roxas would kill us if _anything_ happened to you."

"Considering how graceful you've been since he admitted that he was, ultimately, the one unable to save Keira, he might hold back. Might," added Naminé with the ghost of a smile.

"Am I the only one who thinks that Naminé and I can take care of ourselves?" pouted Kairi, though her lips were valiantly fighting to smile. They passed time the way any teenager would: talk on and on until they reached Agrabah.

"Isn't it funny to think," Sora began as he steered out of the way of a meteorite, "That if the Heartless hadn't attacked our island, we'd have never been dragged into all of this? We would still wonder if there were other worlds."

Riku laughed without humor. "And we wouldn't have had to witness all of the things we did; we never would have been separated."

"I wouldn't have ever known that I was a Princess or where I came from," added Kairi with wonder.

"So much would be different," Naminé agreed. "Roxas and I wouldn't even exist."

Riku grinned for a moment. "Kinda makes you glad that we've gone through hell, we learned a lot." Suddenly, Sora stopped the ship and got out of his seat.

"Let's go, the worlds are putting their trust into us. Our _friends _are putting their trust in us." Riku, Kairi, and Naminé shared smiles before nodding their heads in determination.

**XxxxxX**

Saïx stared at Axel and Roxas without any type of emotion though, even without, it was quite obvious that he neither trusted nor believed them. "So, you two clowns want to join the Organization?" The Organization was having an 'emergency meeting' since the ex-members stepped foot on the castle's grounds. Maleficent left it to them to decide, in order to preserve the idea that Xemnas was still in charge.

"Can they do that?" asked Xigbar. "They aren't Nobodies anymore."

Xemnas did not appear to care any way. "We could use all the help that we can get if we want to get rid of that wretched witch."

"But we can trust these two _traitors _to help us?" asked Marluxia with a sneer. "Remember who you're talking about, Superior."

"You're one to talk," snarled Axel and Roxas.

Marluxia continued to sneer. "Yeah, yeah. Don't get too fired up, Axel, or you might accidently kill yourself off again." Axel prepared to rise out of his old seat, but was stopped by Larxene's hands sparking with electricity.

"If _either_ of you speak _another_ word, I **will** kill you," she warned them, annoyed. Reluctantly, Axel and Marluxia quieted down.

Roxas looked up at the highest seat. "What do you say, Superior?"

Xemnas inclined his head. "Do not fail me." His voice was full of warning and foreboding.

"We won't."

**XxxxxX**

There was something therapeutic for Sora in walking the streets of Agrabah. For a change, they were completely clear of heartless and filled with merchants (most of which attempted to sell jewelry to Naminé and Kairi.) "It's peaceful here," noted Sora out of surprise. After his first two visits, he never thought that the world would be peaceful, especially with Jafar returning left and right. Another thing that Sora detected was the way that the merchants muttered darkly. It didn't seem to be about them, but it was odd in comparison to their usual demeanors.

"Where are we heading, Sora?" asked Naminé as they passed more merchants.

"The Palace," answered Sora with ease. "I haven't seen Aladdin or Iago for that matter..." Though he had expected, somehow, to easily get to the palace as he usually did, he found two very menacing guards posted outside of the doors. It dawned upon him that he had never been _inside _before, but he still did not remember any guards.

One of the guards kept his spear-like weapon inches from Sora's face. "What do you punks think you're doing?"

"We're here to see Princess Jasmine and Aladdin," he informed them with confidence. Kairi was clinging to Naminé's arm, and even Riku felt it a little foolish for his friend to act so boldly. The guards surveyed the odd-looking group with smugness.

"_You_ want to see the Princess and her Prince?"

"Move aside, fellas," ordered a voice from beyond the palace doors. The guards immediately stepped out of the way for Aladdin, who was wearing his usual peasant clothing.

Aladdin beamed at his former companion. "Sora, it's only been a month or so since your last visit, what are you doing back here?"

"Funny thing, Al," Sora began, but he quickly stopped himself. "First things first, do you have any idea why the merchants are muttering so darkly amongst themselves?"

Aladdin's smile turned bittersweet as he led them inside. "You see, you've missed a lot since your last visit." At their hesitation, his smile returned. "It's alright, come on. Jasmine will definitely want to see you." He paused before leading them further inside. "I'm terrible, I forgot to introduce myself; I'm Aladdin."

"Kairi." She added with pride (loving the ability to say such a thing), "Sora's girlfriend."

Aladdin's eyes widened along with his grin as he returned his gaze to Sora. "You didn't tell me that you had a girlfriend last time that you came here."

Sora rubbed the back of his head before resting his arms behind his head. "Well, in all fairness, the last time I came here, I'd been separated from Kairi for a year. We got together shortly after starting this journey." Aladdin nodded with understanding although he had a look in his eyes that said Sora had better explain things later.

Returning his attention to Kairi, he said, "It's a pleasure to meet you, Princess."

"How did you-?" She began, but her words died and fell away as Aladdin held up a hand.

"After Jasmine returned to Agrabah after being freed, she told me about the seven Princesses of Heart. She told me that a young girl named Kairi was also a Princess, and she mentioned that it seemed Sora knew her." Kairi felt flattered that he remembered such a thing.

"My name is Naminé," she introduced herself with a small, shy smile. "I'm Kairi's Nobody." She decided that this way of introducing herself was best when it came to people "outside of the circle." Explaining how she was no longer a Nobody was much too complicated.

At Aladdin's confusion, Sora stepped in to explain again. "I know what you're thinking, and it actually isn't possible for a Princess of Heart to get a Heartless; Kairi didn't have one. As it turns out, during my first journey, Kairi's heart was inside of me the entire time. When I used the keyblade that unlocked hearts," Riku's expression shifted at the mention of the weapon, "and freed the six princesses' hearts, I also released Kairi's heart with my own."

"In other words," giggled Naminé, "I was born in an odd way."

Aladdin chuckled. "It's an honor to meet you, Naminé. Sora, you must've had a Heartless and a Nobody too, right?"

Sora nodded. "Roxas is my Nobody; he's actually an Organization XIII member," Aladdin's face became cautious at this piece of news. After Sora had told him about the Organization, which had luckily not come after Al, he didn't trust the name much. "But Roxas is on our side, totally and completely. I was only a Heartless for a little while; Kairi protected me from a group of other Heartless and guided me back to the light, so I found my heart again."

"Sheesh, there was a lot you didn't brush up on last time." Aladdin said, shaking his head before finally turning toward the last member of the party.

"I'm Riku," he began with a faint smile, "but I'm sure I don't need to tell you a thing about me."

Aladdin laughed, "Yeah, last time Sora was here, he mentioned that he was searching for his 'best friend, Riku.' It seems that you're all together now, though. And, as I was telling you before, ever since Jasmine and I got married-"

"_What?_" Sora exclaimed, but Aladdin continued speaking.

"...And I found my long-lost father," There was another shout from Sora. "The merchants have felt quite ill toward me. That's what you get, I guess."

"So," Kairi asked keenly, "Where is your father?"

"And Iago?" added Sora.

"The two of them went off together, but at least I got to see him for a while before he left, and, yes, Sora, Jasmine and I are finally married." Sora grinned with happiness for him; he guessed that was how Riku had felt when he and Kairi finally admitted their feelings for one another.

Sora was pleased that Aladdin finally had his happiness. "I'm glad that things finally worked out."

"Now, it's your turn. Why are you here? Trouble's never far behind when you're in different worlds."

"We were summoned from our world, actually. There's another princess that no one knew about until recently - only because her world was taken over by Heartless – and she carries a huge part in opening the door to Kingdom Hearts. Maleficent has been collecting the princesses again, and she's planning to use every one of them to seize control of all the worlds."

Aladdin sighed as dread filled him. "I should've figured it was something like that. How bad is it?"

Knowing better than the others, Kairi took the floor. "When I was captured, she had five of them. Obviously, she still has only five Princesses of Heart, but now she's captured the other princess, Keira, too."

"I'm guessing there's been no trouble here, huh?" asked Riku.

"Yep, it's been pretty normal here. I haven't seen a single Heartless."

"I hope it stays that way," replied Naminé, "And I hope we don't attract any..."

Aladdin shook his head. "I highly doubt it, they'd probably be afraid of Rajah." He paused for a moment and laughed. "_I_ was afraid of Rajah when I first came here."

"Rajah?" repeated Sora, but no sooner than he asked did the beast in question show itself. The tiger bounded out of a door that had evidently been left open and snarled at the group of strangers

"Rajah!" A feminine voice scolded the growling tiger. Aladdin smiled as Princess Jasmine closed the door behind her with a large smile. The tiger immediately retreated to his mistress's side, like a puppy. "Sora," she smiled. "It's so nice to see you again!" All at once, the wielders bowed before her, earning them an annoyed stare. "You don't bow to _Kairi_ every time she walks in the room, do you?" They shook their heads. "I assumed as much," she giggled before turning to her fellow. "Kairi, I'm sure you don't remember me, but-"

Kairi shook her head. "Of course I remember you, how could I forget? Besides, Sora's told me all about you and Aladdin. It's nice to see you again."

Jasmined turned toward Riku with a knowing expression. "I see you've found your best friend," she said, pleased to see him away from the darkness. "It's nice seeing you well, Riku." He knew what she meant by 'well' and began to murmur an apology, though he was promptly waved off. "No apologies." She said in a shockingly stern voice.

"I'm Naminé."

"You have a strange similarity to Kairi." Naminé and Kairi both flashed smiles.

"Naminé is my Nobody. Only, she has a heart now, and it's completely her own." The redhead stated, though she, like Naminé, knew it was a bad idea to get into the subject the moment the words left her lips.

Aladdin scratched his head. "How does that work?"

"Keira's handiwork," answered Riku in a quiet voice.

Jasmine was quite intuitive, for she noted, with a sad smile, "You care a lot for her, do you not?" At Riku's surprised face, her smile reached her amber eyes. "I am a woman, that's how I know."

Out of the entire group, only Kairi seemed shocked by the news. "_What_?" She rounded on Riku. "Are... Were you and Keira...?" She attempted to piece together her words to no avail.

"Heroes have a thing for Princesses," noted Naminé while Kairi mumbled something about being unsure of how she now felt about Keira.

Jasmine turned away from them. "Come on up to my room, I am sure we have much to talk about." She started toward the doors she had come through earlier with Rajah and Aladdin on her heels, as well as Aladdin. The teenagers exchanged looks before they also followed after the married couple, Kairi promising Riku that he had a lot of explaining to do.

* * *

**A/N: It's short, I'm sorry. xD I totally blanked out on how Jasmine's room looks, too, I'll have to check that one out. It's been a while since I've seen the movies.**

**Hehe, **_**Aladdin**_** was my favorite && first movie when I was little. Just a fun fact. :D**


	32. Safe is Just the State of Mind

**Chapter 32:  
**Safe is Just the State of Mind

**A/N:**6.10.11: **Below, I mention Naminé living in two castles. I am almost 99% sure that this is not canon but, at the time when there was only KH 1, II, and CoM, this is what I thought. Added a lot of detail to this, actually.**

**6.25.09: I'm skipping around again when it comes to editing. Oops! Probably nothing too huge here, but I did add song lyrics. Why? Because I used some of the song's lyrics for the title already.**

Old note: **I'm pretty positive (as far as my reviewers go, anyway) that none of you have read my HP fanfic, which is good because I just deleted it. There was just too much controversy and it annoyed me to death, especially all the people telling me what to do all the time, so it's gone. xD**

**Disclaimer-(Since I forgot about this last time..) I. Do. Not. Own. Kingdom. Hearts. OR. **_**Aladdin**_

_'I can't complain if I don't know how.  
It's a sad, sad song with no story line.  
I fall to sleep in my rented room. It's not much to talk about;  
I've got so much to talk about.  
But I don't wanna let you,  
I don't wanna let you down.'  
_**-"Indoor Living" by Motion City Soundtrack**

* * *

Keira found herself sitting quietly in the cell once more. Her mind no longer questioned whether or not she could trust Sora and the others, because she had come to her own conclusions. She had known Quince since childhood, and he had betrayed her in the worst way possible. Sora and the others had not even know her that long or that well, so, she decided, there was no way they could be counted on, let alone trusted. She almost did not despise them for abandoning her. Almost. She stared without seeing, not so much as blinking as yet another black coat passed with their hood drawn over their head. Many of them passed all the time, and she distantly wondered why they bothered hiding their identities; it was not as if she was leaving.

Roxas took the stairs from the dungeons and allowed a low sigh to escape his lips. He could tell that Keira wasn't going to last much longer; anyone with decent vision could see that. _'Our hearts will pity that girl,'_ Axel had said, _'but we can't set her free or anything. We have to hold back.'_ Hold back until what? Until Maleficent kidnapped Kairi and the last princess? And then what? Watch the witch steal their hearts and take over all the worlds? For the first time, he thought: '_this plan isn't gonna work.'_

**XxxxxX**

Jasmine's room was, as expected, beautiful. The Princess had taken them on a tour throughout the palace and the wielders had been wowed at the beauty of it all. "It must be nice living in a palace," Naminé stated with some longing in her voice.

Kairi turned toward her other with a curious expression. "What are you talking about? You lived in two castles."

Naminé snorted. "Do you remember who I lived _with_? Besides, you can't compare either of them to here. There wasn't any beauty in either of those castles."

"You've got that right," agreed Riku.

"So things are just as bad as usual with you, Sora?" asked Aladdin as he, Jasmine, and Rajah led the way into the beautiful courtyard, which prominently featured a large fountain.

Sora rested his hands behind his head. "I wouldn't say terribly bad, but it isn't looking so nice for the worlds. Hey, where's Genie?" he added casually.

At his words, the blue Genie appeared out of thin air. "You summoned me, sir?" The ex-genie joked as he dropped in front of Sora and embraced him in a bone-crushing hug.

"G-Genie I c-can't b-breathe," Sora managed to choke out. Genie reluctantly released the boy and rubbed the back of his head. "Genie, this is-" But the blue man cut him off before he could finish.

"Riku, Naminé, and, of course, the ever important Kairi; it's nice to finally meet you all in person."

Jasmine's eyebrows knitted together. "Genie how do you know them?" How could Genie have known them before Aladdin and herself?

"Since I was helping Sora on his last journey, I was there when Sora was reunited with Kairi, Riku, _and_ Naminé. We just never met in person," he informed the group.

"It's nice to meet you, Genie." The girls said in unison with big smiles.

Riku nodded at him with a sly smirk. "It's nice to meet someone who' probably saved Sora's ass on several occasions." Sora frowned and playfully punched his arm.

"I hear there's more trouble in paradise, but I see we still have two princesses," stated Genie. "What's the plan?"

"There seems to be no trouble here for the newlyweds," Sora replied; Kairi and Naminé opened their mouths to remind him that the last time he said such a thing, the Kraken appeared and took away both Jack and Keira, "but we just wanted to come and make sure Jasmine was alright."

"You are too sweet," smiled the princess, "but we're fine here." Rajah, who had seemed to be asleep beside the fountain, suddenly opened his eyes and began to growl. "What is it, Rajah?" At that moment, Abu also entered the courtyard and ran toward Aladdin, chattering noisily.

Aladdin met the monkey halfway as he jumped onto his shoulder. "What is it, Abu?" Abu continued to chatter, and Aladdin looked up with a terror-stricken face. "Abu said that he spotted some Heartless and white creatures heading for the gates."

"_What?_" The wielders exclaimed together as their weapons flashed into their hands. Sora was now, for the sake of the hardships bound to come, wielding Ultima Weapon.

Kairi turned toward Sora with a scowl. "You've jinxed us again!"

Naminé began, "Aladdin, you better take Jasmine to safety before-" Heartless and Nobodies began to form in the courtyard, eliminating the need for Aladdin to do anything. Rajah growled at the strange creatures, but they seemed unaffected by his efforts to intimidate them.

"Aladdin, go; we'll hold them off," urged Riku. After a moment of hesitation, he nodded, took Jasmine's hand, and returned inside with Rajah and Abu. Today, it seemed, the Heartless and Nobodies were eager to follow through on whatever their orders were, for they immediately began to gather around Kairi.

"Firaga!" shouted Naminé, a ball of fire escaping from the tip of her keyblade and hitting one of the Shadows, who fell on its back, unmoving. The two girls began to sweep the Heartless away in one corner of the courtyard while Riku and Sora moved towards the doors in an attempt to stop the Dusks from breaking them down.

Inside of the castle, Aladdin noted how quickly the Heartless were forming and just how many there were. "Jasmine, go to your room and take Rajah and Abu with you." She opened her mouth to protest, but he simply shook his head. "No, I won't put you in danger again. Hurry." Though she frowned, she decided to listen to him. She ran across the room and threw open the doors that would lead to her own and shut the doors behind her when she was sure both animals had followed.

Aladdin pulled out his sword while Genie cracked his knuckles. "You ready for this, Al?"

"Let's do it, Genie."

As soon as Jasmine made it to her room, she shut the door behind her and inhaled deeply. "You can't always escape from trouble, Princess," informed Luxord in his accented voice as a few Gambler Nobodies danced around him. Rajah snarled and charged, only to go straight through the Nobody. He started towards the terrified princess and grabbed her wrist. "Now, come with me; your destiny awaits."

Kairi and Naminé, having finally killed off every Heartless around them, took a break to catch their breath. They doubled over, awaiting for the stiches in their sides to fade. There was so preoccupied that they did not even notice Marluxia appear in a portal behind them. He spared no time for a satisfactory smirk as he reached seized Kairi's arm. Naminé turned around as Kairi was torn from her side.

She glared at Marluxia (which was not saying much, given her appearance) and slashed at him with Chain of Memories, but he avoided the attack and simply grabbed her free hand. "I have no opposition to dragging you along with us, Naminé," he informed her in that low, dangerous voice that had always terrified her back at Castle Oblivion. "You can lose your newfound heart, then; I'm sure your boyfriend will love that." Kairi struggled valiantly Marluxia's grip, but he was too strong.

Kairi chose the second best option. "Sora! Riku!" They turned as the last Dusk faded away in enough time to see the girls being pulled into a portal.

"Kairi!" Sora forced his legs to move as fast as they could across the courtyard, refusing to acknowledge that it was too late and he was too far away. "Naminé!" _'I can't let them down now. I __**can't**_.' Marluxia pushed Naminé into the portal before facing Sora, Kairi still within his grip.

"Which one would you rather lose: your princess or that troublesome witch?" Sora glared but refused to award the Nobody a response, but Marluxia chuckled nonetheless. "Who would have guessed that even the Keyblade Master is selfish? You're ashamed of what your heart is telling you. Of course you only care for Kairi, even if you were told about what happened in Castle Oblivion, you still don't remember and so you will _never_ care about Naminé."

Sora shook his head. "That's not true!" He swung Ultima Weapon, but Marluxia, being the man that he was, held Kairi in front of him as a human shield; Sora froze in mid-swing.

"Do you despise me so much that you would go through your own girlfriend to get to me?" Sora growled as Riku joined him. "Yes, that's exactly what I thought. Even your heart can be touched by the darkness of selfishness, Sora. Remember that." Taking a few steps backward, Marluxia and Kairi disappeared within the darkness of the portal.

Riku swung at the ground before calling off Way to Dawn. "Shit!" The courtyard doors flew open as a pale Aladdin joined them.

"Naminé and Kairi were taken, too," he realized. "Where did they take them?"

Sora tore himself away from the spot where Kairi had been. "The World that Never Was. All eight Princesses..." He trailed off, and Aladdin felt the hair on his neck stand on end.

Riku turned toward his best friend. "We have to hurry."

Aladdin appeared crestfallen. "I still can't go, can I?"

Sora shook his head. "No, but mark my words, Al, I _will_ save all of those princesses, and Jasmine _will_ return here." As he and Riku returned to the gummi ship, he added under his breath, "Even if it means losing my heart again."

**XxxxxX**

Keira looked up as the whooshing of a portal appeared and Marluxia dropped Kairi and Naminé to the floor. "The three of you can have a reunion." She looked up and glared at him though her heart wasn't in it. Even in such close proximity to him, it did not occur to her to summon her keyblade. Still, he felt at least a little surprise at her show of emotion.

Remembering something suddenly, Marluxia grabbed Naminé and dragged her to the back of the cell where he clamped shackles around her small wrists. "You won't be pulling that portal trick of yours again, Naminé," he growled, his face inches from hers; it felt like she was back in Castle Oblivion and, though she hated herself for showing her weakness, she let out a small whimper. Kairi glanced at Keira, waiting for her to help, and, when she didn't, Kairi ran forward with Radiant Destiny. Annoyed, Marluxia summoned Graceful Dahlia and knocked her backwards. "Sora was barely a match for me; why would you think that you're anything more?"

"Hey, Marluxia," began a familiar voice. "How about, instead of bothering innocent girls, you go do your job and see the Superior?" Axel stopped before the cell, arms folded across his chest, and, glaring, Marluxia stepped outside, slamming the door behind him.

"Hn." Marluxia did not dignify Axel with a response and exited the dungeon without another word.

Once he was sure the coast was clear, Axel approached the bars. "Naminé, Kairi. You two alright?"

They slowly nodded their heads, and Naminé stared at Keira, who did not acknowledge anyone's presence. "Axel, what happened to her?"

Axel hissed a slow breath. "Maleficent's work; _don't_ talk to her."

Kairi looked up, surprised. "Why?"

"It won't help her. Got it memorized?" he added with a smirk to lighten the mood a little. "Geez, Roxas is going to kill when he finds out that Marluxia caught Naminé, too."

"Are you freeing us?" Kairi did not keep the hope out of her voice.

Axel's smirk turned to a weak smile. "I can't. Not yet. But you're safe until Maleficent's finished her work with Keira, so don't worry."

"Her 'work'?" asked Naminé, her voice shaking.

"Just trust me, alright?"

"Where are the rest of the princesses?"

Axel sighed with mock-exasperation. "So many questions! They've already lost their hearts, but I don't know where Agrabah's princess is; I'm not even sure if Luxord's back... Don't worry about it, you'll be out in no time, so stay put." As if they had a choice. Unlike Kairi's previous cell, this one had no keyhole; it appeared to be locked by a keycard. "I'll be back later." They watched as he walked away, his footsteps fading in the distance.

As soon as he was gone, Kairi ran to the back of the cell and knelt beside Naminé. She summoned Oathkeeper and swung at the chain connected to the shackles, but it was no good at all. She tried a few more times with the same results. "Sorry, Naminé." She apologized as she slid down the wall beside the blonde.

"Don't be; we'll be alright." Naminé assured her with confidence. "I know that Roxas and Axel will free us. But..." Her eyes returned to Keira, who still did not look at them. "We have to do _something_. Maleficent's work is to turn Keira against us. We have to remind her that we're her friends."

Kairi bit down on her lip. "Axel said not to talk to her—"

"Kairi, I will _not _give up on her that easily. She gave Roxas and I hearts; the least I can do is try to save hers. Keira!" she added in a louder voice, surprised when the girl actually glanced back at them. "I'm sorry that we let Maleficent get her hands on you, really. We're your friends, and we would never want anything bad to happen to you." Her hand rested on her chest, feeling the steady rhythm of her heart. "We'll just have to remind her of everything we've been through, starting with Elie."

**XxxxxX**

"Now they have all of the princesses?" asked Leon via the transmission screen in the ship. "You know what you have to do."

Sora nodded, his hands gripping the wheel tightly to prevent them from shaking. "Yeah, are you coming this time around?"

"Yeah, I'll gather the others, and we'll meet you there. If we're not there by the time that you land, go on without us." The screen clicked off and receded into the top of the ship as Sora and Riku stared at one another. For a moment, they thought of the beginning of the journey, when they had been so against leaving the Islands. Now, they thought of all of their friends, and their newest one, the one who had been the reason behind them leaving home in the first place. Sora tried to imagine Keira as she had been when they first met with her bright eyes and mischievous grin, not the dark-haired girl dragged beneath the _Pearl _by the Kraken.

Sora's heart clenched at the thought of her becoming Maleficent's puppet and Kairi losing her heart for a second time. "I'm going to step on it, Riku."

"Go as fast as you can, Sora."

**XxxxxX**

In the Castle that Never Was, Maleficent was striding through _her_ Great Hall. Several Organization members and Pete had slaved over making the room very nearly identical to the one in Hollow Bastion. Six heartless princesses were encased in the glass as they had been a year previous. The top of Maleficent's staff was a light pink (instead of its usual lime green) from the six pure hearts. "The transformation is nearly complete. This time, I shall get what I want," she cackled to herself as a bored Quince and Sephiroth watched her without amusement; Pete simply stared with confusion twisting his usual dumb expression.

"Say, uh... Maleficent? How's that girl gonna help us get to Kingdom Hearts?" he asked in a stupid voice. Maleficent turned toward him with a sweep of her cloak, and he winced, preparing for the yell that was sure to follow.

Instead, she pulled her lips back into an evil smile. "My dear, Pete, that girl's heart, filled with darkness, can be the gateway to Kingdom Hearts. Also, she can still live without her heart and control Heartless. That way, if the worlds put up a struggle against our reign, she can summon Heartless to kill them instantly."

"Hn. The girl really is Princess of Darkness?" inquired Sephiroth, though he did not seem to care much.

"Yes. The girl and her heart are quite strange. Once the heart is eclipsed in total darkness and separated from her body, she will become nothing more than a mere puppet. In her heart, there is power. The rest of her is a waste."

Still uninterested, Sephiroth, continued, "How are you planning to turn her heart to complete darkness?"

Maleficent cackled. "You will see in a mere moment. Pete, go fetch the girl."

"Right away, Maleficent!" He ran out of the door, and Quince quietly followed after him as he found a need for fresh air. The more Quince moved, the harder his stomach clenched and, before he knew it, he was running to the Proof of Existence where all of the twelve stones were glowing with power. He continued running until he reached the Altar of Naught.

Quince perched himself on the ledge of the altar and stared up at the heart-shaped moon, something he had been finding himself doing often. Another pair of footsteps sounded behind him, and his nails bit into his palms. "Listen, I don't _care _what you—" He trailed off when he realized that the person behind him was Roxas. Recovering quickly, he said in an arrogant voice, "You're not really helping out the Organization."

"Great. That makes you just about as smart as Marluxia, and that's not saying much," replied Roxas harshly. "And you don't won't to watch Keira become a puppet." Quince scowled. "So, what are you going to do? Just sit back, watch, and cry about it later?" Fenrir and Oathkeeper materialized in Roxas' hands. "Don't you want your world back? Don't you miss anyone? Maybe you owe it to them to save Keira's heart." Quince turned back toward the moon for a moment before facing Roxas completely with keyblade in hand. _Was_ it his Keyblade? It definitely wasn't the crimson one.

This keyblade depicted roses and water; it was actually very feminine looking, though it was undeniably beautiful. Its keychain was that of a silver heart with 'buds' engraved into it. Roxas smirked openly. "Those types of keychains are supposed to be given from girl to girl, you know."

Quince did not scowl or blush. Instead, his expression was quite serene as he responded, "What can I say? She always was a special child."

Their weapons disappeared in flashes of light as Roxas turned toward the stairs. "Let's go find Elie."

**XxxxxX**

Riku and Sora were met by a very annoying surprise when they reached the World That Never Was: there was a barrier surrounding it. "We came all this way just to..." began an angry Sora, but he stopped when Riku held up his hand.

"There's more than one way to enter the World That Never Was. Remember?" Sora thought about it for a moment, and his thoughts drifted back to the basement in the mansion of Roxas's Twilight Town: the portal.

"Good thing we're so close." He promptly turned the ship around and docked at Twilight Town where he beamed them into the computer room in order to conserve time.

"Let's go," breathed Riku as they stepped into the transporter.

**XxxxxX**

Pete brought Keira back to the Great Hall with little to no struggle. Well, Kairi had struggled and Naminé had tried to struggle, but there had been no struggle from Keira herself. Her friends called after her as she left with Pete, trying to reach her. He snickered at the thought as he reached the Great Hall. _'Her heart's too far gone.'_ "Those two brats in that cell," Pete panted when he entered the room, "Are getting rowdy and annoying." He rubbed the spot on his arm where Radiant Destiny cut him.

"The seventh Princess will not be able to struggle for much longer," cackled Maleficent before turning toward Keira with her fake motherly expression. "Princess, I do not know how to tell you this, but... Oh, I can't; it's too terrible." She turned away in alleged sadness, an evil smile adorning her lips.

Pete was surprised when Keira responded. "What is it?" She knew whatever Maleficent had to tell her was something about her. She thought, for a moment, about the things Kairi and Naminé said to her, trying to recount the good times. They even spoke of Elie, as if they knew anything about her.

Maleficent faced her once again with a sad expression. "My dear, your home world hadn't been taken over when you were first in the Radiant Garden; it was still fine. However, because of your 'friends' and their lies, they took away a vital opportunity for you to save it. Now, I'm afraid that... There's no saving it. It's very much gone."

Keira's mind drifted back to her home, friends, and family. She recalled teaching her young cousin how to swim during the summer, and getting in trouble at school for talking to Nalani too much. Without Jewel's Grove, all of those opportunities were gone. She imagined her little cousin's heartless body, and her hands clenched into her fists. There were no words, none. Everything Kairi and Naminé had said, truth or not about them being her friends, no longer mattered. She growled something incoherent as a black aura begun to surround her body.

Maleficent knew that she had the girl in the palm of her hand, and also knew the words she needed to speak to seal the deal. "I'm afraid to tell you that many members of your family have died, as well. As for Nalani, well... she... didn't seem to have made it." The aura intensified, cracking the mirror necklace as her pupils faded and eyes darkened.

"Ah, so that's how you were planning to go about it," murmured Sephiroth as if what he was seeing was nothing spectacular.

* * *

**A/N: This is a short chapter, sorry! I don't want to give away too much too soon. See you next chapter. :D**


	33. The Light at the End of the Tunnel

**A/N: 6.25.09: Baha, if anyone figured out from which song the last chapter's title came from, you ain't getting brownies anymore; I put lyrics in it with the song title. Sorry. xD I added song lyrics, and I think you should listen to the song while reading the chapter; it really works! :3**

Old note: **Well, I finally changed the summary, which means I only have ten million other things to do for this story-including finishing it. From here on out, we won't be going to other worlds. Well... that is to say... you'll see what I mean.** **Oh, and if you can figure out what song the lyrics from last chapter's title came from, you get four -internet- brownies.** **Also! I forgot to mention this, but this is very important. Since Axel and Roxas have 'rejoined' the Organization, Roxas has his old coat back.**

_'In too deep and lost in time.  
Why'd you have to go and let it die?  
Beautiful veins and bloodshot eyes.  
Why'd you have to go and let it die?  
Hearts gone cold and hands are tied.  
Why'd you have to go and let it die?'  
_**-"Let it Die" by Foo Fighters**

* * *

When Quince and Roxas (having not yet found Elie) reached the Soundless Prison, it occurred to the former that he had not mentioned that both Kairi and Naminé were imprisoned. Roxas summoned his keyblade as he stepped inside, freeing Naminé with a beam of light; Kairi was nowhere to be found.

Roxas pulled Naminé into his arms. "I leave a little over than twenty-four hours ago, believing I left you in capable hands, and I'm proven wrong," he remarked with a smirk before adding, much more seriously, "This ends now."

Her eyes widened as she looked past him to where Quince was standing in the hallway. "Roxas, what is he...?"

It was Quince who answered her, in a cool voice, "I'm through helping Maleficent."

"Now we've just got to find Axel..." Roxas muttered. "Where could he be?" They looked up at the sound of an explosion from a higher floor. "Fighting with Marluxia? I think so."

**XxxxxX**

As the two boys entered the first portal leading to Betwixt and Between, Sora glanced around. It was as eerily quiet as usual, but he felt much more comfortable in the area with the knowledge that Axel was alive. "You didn't actually think you were going through without us, did you?" called someone from behind them. Yuffie, Cloud, Tifa, Donald, Goofy, The King, and Leon had just come through the portal, too. Riku looked back at them with a brief, faint smile, before turning in the direction of the World that Never Was. His hair was standing on edge, and he felt something was off: there was a huge surge of darkness coming from that direction. "Something's going on in the World that Never Was."

**XxX**

Marluxia, exhausted, glared up at Axel from his spot on the floor. "I knew that you hadn't reformed at all, Axel."

"Like you weren't planning to overthrow the Organization once Maleficent was out of the picture? Intentions never change. I could finish you off right now, but I've got some business to attend to." Though Axel wanted nothing more than the pleasure of killing Marluxia himself, he forced himself to go to the Great Hall.

As he reached the room, he made his face as blank as possible. "Maleficent, those idiots from the Radiant Garden have arrived, as have the Keyblade Master and Riku." He was, for the most part, lying, and assumed that the group had arrived by now.

Maleficent frowned. "These princesses are going nowhere. Let us go welcome our guests, Pete, Sephiroth. Just in case, Axel, stay here and guard them." Axel nodded his agreement, relived that Maleficent trusted him that much, and eyed her staff as she passed him; it was pink, but not as pink as it could have been.

As soon as the others left, he glanced at the glass cases and found that only six of them were filled; Kairi was lying, unmoving, in the middle of the floor. He called her name and shook her, but she did not awaken. His eyes widened with realization. "They took her heart. Damn it!" He pulled her into his arms as he stood. "I'll just have to take her somewhere else."

Before he could summon a portal, a familiar, inquisitive voice, spoke. "Why would you want to go, Axel?" The voice sounded almost childlike, and he turned to find himself face to face with Keira, but she was not the same as she had been.

Her hair was completely black, and her eyes looked... different, less alive. They _looked _like she was being controlled. A very visible black aura surrounded her, the power of darkness, he realized. "Keira?" The black-haired girl smiled, but it wasn't her smile; it was Maleficent's smile. Axel set Kairi down behind him. "What happened to you? What did Maleficent _do_?" His talk was useless, and he knew that he needed to get Kairi out of the castle as soon as possible. A whoosing sounded as the door automatically opened behind them.

Elie stood in the doorway, looking past Axel and at the girl possessed by darkness. "Shit, they did a good job on you, huh, Stef?" she mumbled to herself, before adding to Axel, "Axel, Roxas, Quince, and Naminé are waiting outside for you; I'll deal with her, you go."

Axel stared at her with disbelief. "Quince?"

"Yeah, he's had a change of heart for the sake of this one." Elie nodded her head to Keira. "...Though it might be too late. We'll figure out how to revert her back to normal later; I think you actually sent Maleficent after Sora and the others."

"Really? Yikes." He paused, slightly horrified. "What about you?"

"I'll be fine, just go." Her keyblade, Dragon Fang, materialized in her hand. "Princess, I'm here to help. Come on, don't you remember me, Stefa?"

In Keira's hand materialized a new keyblade; it was sharp, black, and covered in thorns: Dark Thorn. **(A/n: Yeah. That's the name of a Heartless. Oops.)** "Help?" Her eyes narrowed as the darkness around her intensified. "I don't need help."

Quince, Roxas, and Naminé looked up when Axel exited the door with Kairi's limp figure in his arms. "Is she...?" Roxas trailed off as Axel nodded.

Naminé put a hand to her chest and felt her heart beat hard. "I think that, even if Maleficent gets Keira's heart," she said slowly, her eyes screwed up in concentration, "she won't be able to open Kingdom Hearts."

"Why's that?" asked Quince.

"I _am_ Kairi's Nobody. Even if I'm a Somebody, her heart will still return to me. It's drawn to me."

Axel nodded, a look of determination his face. "Maleficent can't find out. Otherwise, she'll take Naminé's heart, too."

"So if I lost my heart..." Roxas trailed off.

Naminé nodded in response. "It would still return to you and merge with your current heart. That would double both the darkness and light in your heart."

"I'm staying here; I'm not going anywhere without Stefa," Quince told them. "Go on and help your friends." Axel, Roxas, and Naminé exchanged a worried glance, but they agreed to these terms nonetheless.

"Be careful," mumbled Naminé as Axel summoned a portal. "Take care of Keira."

**XxxxX**

Sora and the others stepped into the wet streets of the dark city, though it was, at the moment, not raining. Clouds had engulfed the sky and covered part of the heart-shaped moon. "It's gonna pour," observed Yuffie.

"So, what was so urgent here, Riku?" asked Sora, though he had an idea. Even he could feel some of the darkness pulsing in the world. Although Riku no longer belonged in the darkness and could not use any powers of it, he could still easily sense any disturbances.

Riku appeared troubled. "Heartless. A lot of Heartless."

"Gawrsh, I don't see any Heartless, though," reasoned Goofy as he put a scouting hand over his eyebrows and searched for a sign of the dark creatures.

Tifa, who had climbed atop one of the buildings, called down to them, "You wouldn't."

Yuffie joined her and squinted into the distance. "They're all heading for the castle."

"No good," mumbled Leon.

"Well, ya got that right!" grunted a booming voice as Pete's large figure stepped out of an alleyway.

King Mickey's voice might have been a growl if he were anyone else. Instead, he squeaked out, "Pete!"

"King Mickey," Pete mock-bowed, "How _nice_ to see ya again." Donald and Goofy stepped in front of their king with their weapons raised, and he snickered. "Aw, gonna protect your King, are ya?"

"Pete, what have you done with Kairi and Naminé?" demanded Sora as he brandished Ultima in a threatening manner.

Pete shrugged meekly with a large grin stretching across his face. "What would a dope like me know about things like that?"

"Idiot," growled Riku as Way to Dawn flashed into existence.

Pete laughed. "Because ya think that ya can actually defeat me, I'll tell ya this: there ain't a princess of the purest heart _with_ a heart anymore."

Sora's expression fell. _'Kairi.'_ "You...!" He ran forward to attack him, but was brought back to his senses as Leon grabbed the back of his jacket.

"Leave him to Yuffie and I; the rest of you can go on." Yuffie jumped down from the building with her shuriken in hand.

Goofy looked worried. "Gawrsh, Leon, are you sure...?"

"Go on, guys," urged Yuffie as Leon charged Pete with his blade. The others reluctantly agreed and Tifa remained in her spot, jumping from rooftop to rooftop. They finally stopped when they reached Memory's Skyscraper and for more reasons than one.

Axel, Roxas, and Naminé were sitting on the steps leading to the skyscraper's doors. In Axel's arms was Kairi's limp form, immediately drawing Sora forth. "Her heart..." Sora trailed off as he took Kairi from Axel.

Naminé looked up at Sora with an exhausted smile. "She didn't lose her heart to Maleficent, Sora."

"W-what?"

Naminé inhaled deeply. "Since I'm Kairi's Nobody, her heart is drawn to me. Even if I have a heart already, it just merges with the one that I already have."

"But if Maleficent knows, she'll take Naminé's heart," added Roxas in a voice that suggested they should not speak another word.

Cloud spoke for the first time. "How are we to get her heart back?"

Naminé's expression became melancholy; there was a jolt in Sora's heart as he recognized the expression. The image of a younger Naminé turning her back on him and walking away briefly appeared in his mind. "My heart will have to be taken, and, once it is, both hearts will be freed, one returning to Kairi and the other to go nowhere."

"Just like what happened to me," mumbled Sora.

Naminé nodded her head. "Exactly."

"But, in the meantime, we have to pretend like Maleficent has it," stated Axel. Somewhere in the darkness, a black raven flew off of the top of a building and disappeared into the dark sky.

Riku finally forced himself to ask the burning question. "Where's Keira?" When Axel sighed, he knew that he would not like the answer.

"Look, I'm sorry about Keira. Maleficent turned her heart to total darkness and it's only a matter of time before she loses it. I tried to get through to her, but there was just no way. She's not the same person that she was."

Naminé slowly nodded in agreement, her eyes downcast. "Kairi and I tried, too, but she... We couldn't reach her."

"Damn it," cursed Cloud as rain began to fall on them.

"Well, fellas," began Mickey, "We can't just stand here and wait for something to happen."

"Oh, but something _is_ about to happen." Larxene was standing atop of the skyscraper with a sadistic grin on her face. Everyone immediately moved their weapons into a defensive position, unsure of how they had not noticed her sooner. "Now, what is one of the first things you fools learned as children? Ah, that's right: water conducts _electricity_!" A large bolt of thunder raced down the edge of the skyscraper at the group, but they easily moved before it was even close. "I wonder how pleased the Superior will be when he learns that Axel and Roxas have once again betrayed the Organization," she mused as she jumped down to join them.

Axel summoned his chakrams and took a few steps toward her. "Wipe that smug look off of your face, Larxene." The fire was promptly extinguished by the rain, and Larxene's smile widened.

"The second thing that we learn? Water always wins against fire." She casually approached them, sending another bolt of lightning at them. Though it missed them again, it made a decent-sized crack in the ground and divided the group.

Roxas summoned his keyblades and rushed her, but she met him halfway and seized him by the front of his coat. "Don't even bother, Thirteen, you were always afraid of me," she whispered in his ear before shoving him to the side. Naminé also tried to attack Larxene, but, like Roxas, it was not well-planned. Diablo cawed as he landed atop one of skyscraper's steps while Larxene grabbed a fistful of her knives and ran at the girl with inhuman speed. The next thing Naminé knew, Larxene had one hand on Chain of Memories and the other on Naminé's throat. "And you," began Larxene as electricity shot through the blade and up its owner's arm, forcing Naminé to call it off, "The hero," she purposely looked at Sora with a smile, "have to save her," she finished in a whisper as she thrust Naminé to the side, at seemingly nothing. In the next instant, however, Maleficent appeared in a flurry of green flames.

"You fools thought that if you had your ex-Organization friends play double-agent, you would win," she cackled as she grabbed Naminé. "You were wrong." She held up her staff as Naminé struggled in her grip and pointed it at the girl's chest. An eerie green light shot from the orb and went entered Naminé's chest. Two hearts were dragged out with ease, and Naminé's eyes shut. Had it not been for the witch's vice grip, Naminé would have collapsed to the ground. The orb on Maleficent's staff became a darker pink. "You see, I have just killed two birds with one stone. Because Naminé is the Nobody of a Princess of Heart, Keira made her a heart that was completely pure; it is the complete copy of Kairi's heart. This means that there are technically eight Princesses of Heart."

Green flames began to engulf her body. "This also means that I must retrieve the last heart needed to summon Kingdom Hearts, do excuse me." She disappeared into the flames, dropping Naminé in the process. Roxas quickly caught her body before it could hit the ground.

The meaning of Maleficent's words did not go unnoticed. Riku's grip on Way to Dawn became painful. _'Keira.' _Axel quickly summoned a portal without facing the others. "We've got to hurry; we'll have to try and beat her to the Great Hall."

Larxene's presence was recalled as Tifa nodded at her and lowered her body into a battle stance. "I'll take care of her. Leave Naminé and Kairi here so you can fight."

Goofy and Donald joined her, the latter quacking, "We'll help you, Tifa."

She smiled. "Thanks." Roxas and Sora reluctantly laid the two limp forms of their lovers beneath the skyscraper where the rain would not touch them.

Cloud was clearly torn between remaining with Tifa and joining the others. Finally, he mumbled, "Be careful," and pulled her into a quick embrace.

"Go get Keira," she said as the others disappeared into the portal.

"Let's see if you two idiots still fight as hopelessly as you did back at Castle Oblivion." Larxene snarled at Goofy and Donald as she gripped her knives between her fingers. Tifa lifted up an arm and blocked a punch aimed at Donald.

"Don't get too arrogant." She lifted her leg in a kick, which was halted when a few knives sailed through the air. Tifa evaded the attack, and Goofy hurled his shield at the Nymph. In the background, more Shadows and Neoshadows were moving toward the castle, most of them falling into the canyon below it.

**XxxxxX**

Pete grinned with pride as he rolled a blue ball in Leon's direction. Yuffie, with her ninja-like speed, lifted up her the shuriken, and, with a small push, she sent the homing ball back towards its owner. It promptly exploded, knocking him over. "Thanks," said Leon.

"No problem." When Pete began to stand, she hurled her shuriken, and he fell back over.

"Why did I have to face these two?" Pete whined as he laid on the ground with rain splattering into his eyes. Leon's body began to glow as he approached him with his weapon raised. The Gunblade began to gain a bright orange aura as Leon slammed it into the ground, knocking Pete into the air and causing him to fall back to the street with a huge thud.

Yuffie grinned. "That's _gotta_ hurt."

**XxxxxX**

Axel's portal appeared on a balcony beside the slope that would lead to the Great Hall. "It's right up there." He pointed up to a door on a slight higher level.

"We've got no time to lose." Sora began to head for the slope, but two portals barred his path as Xigbar and Zexion stepped out.

Xigbar raised an eyebrow. "Just where do you think you're going? It's a little too soon to be leaving, don't you think?"

"Move aside, Xigbar," warned Roxas.

"Now _that_ is the look that I was talking about." Xigbar stated with a grin on his face. **(A/n: Obviously, a KH II reference.)** "But you're not going anywhere, not without a fight."

Cloud held out his sword. "They're like gnats." When he took a few steps toward the Nobodies, Axel flung out an arm.

"I'll deal with this. Of course, defeating Zexion won't be as fun this time," he said with a sadistic smile, "No Riku Replica to kill 'im off."

Riku stepped beside him. "You've got something better: the real thing."

Mickey shook his head and joined Axel. "No. You'll definitely need to go on, Riku. Me and Axel will handle these two, you four go on."

"But, Your Majesty..." Riku and Sora protested.

"Get lost, scram," ordered Axel.

Tome of Judgment appeared in Zexion's hand. "Do I really have to fight again?"

"Let me put it this way," Xigbar said as he turned to face his fellow, "Do it or die."

Zexion frowned. "Let's do this, then." He sighed as the pages in his book began to turn by themselves.

"Go!" ordered Axel in a louder voice. The remaining group ran up slope after slope until they had disappeared from view. The balcony was obscured by part of the castle's roof, allowing Axel to utilize fire. "Burn baby!" He hurled a flurry of fire at Zexion's book.

**XxX**

After following many sets of stairs and slopes, Roxas, Sora, Riku, and Cloud found themselves outside of the Great Hall's door. When they stepped inside, they found Quince and Elie double-teaming another. As they entered deeper into the room, they realized that the girl was a strange-looking Keira, and, decorating the cases were the Princesses of Heart.

Keira easily knocked both wielders back with one strike of Dark Thorn mixed with darkness. Riku's hands clenched, and Sora knew it was because he was remembering when he fought against his own best friend. Quince slid back on his feet while Elie fell to the floor. "Stefa," he managed to groan, "knock it off." She slowly walked toward him, Dark Thorn raised. Cloud called her name, diverting her attention away from Quince.

When he took in her appearance, he stopped moving. Axel's words replayed in Cloud's m ind: _"She's not the same person that she was."_ No truer words had ever been spoken. Keira continued to stare at him, though he wished she wouldn't; it ruined the images of the annoying girl jumping from rooftop to rooftop. However, she did not attack, and, in fact, she did not do anything. She waited, as if she were expecting something to happen.

Happen it did. A large figure dropped from the high ceiling of the room with Masamune in hand. "Hello, Cloud."

The cold voice snapped Cloud out of his reverie just in time for him to use his Buster sword to block Masamune. Seeing that Sephiroth had things taken care of, Keira fled from the room. "Go after her! I'll settle things with Sephiroth _once _and for _all_." He grunted as he pushed off the sword with some difficulty. Quince left first, Elie hot on his heels, as did the remaining trio.

As they ran after Keira, Roxas noticed the countless number of Heartless climbing up the castle, not to mention the Heartless appearing in Keira's wake. "Is she _summoning_ all of those?" Elie asked with disbelief as she ran as fast as her legs would carry, the chain on her skirt jingly wildly.

"Heartless are naturally attracted to hearts," Quince stated in a matter-of-fact voice, "and since hers is so strong and full of darkness, they aim to take it from her." He slashed the creatures out of his way without stopping. They ran through Proof of Existence (several of the stones were quite marked up) up several slopes and through Ruin and Creation's passage where they had to kill Heartless _and_ Nobodies.

When they reached the top of the Altar of Naught, they found Maleficent, Saïx, Xemnas, and Keira. The witch faced the girl with a pleasant expression as Keira moved to her side. "Ah, my dear, you've made it at last." The rain was pouring on them, but clouds no longer covered Kingdom Hearts.

"Keira!" Quince and Riku shouted in such desperate ways that she turned toward them. "Don't listen to her, Stefa, our world isn't gone," panted Quince. "After you were trapped in the darkness, I exterminated the Heartless that were searching for the world's heart. Jewel's Grove is _fine._"

Keira's eyes lightened a little. "_No_," hissed Maleficent in a dangerous voice. She seized Keira's arm and turned her around with her staff held high in the other hand. "You will fools will not ruin this for me. Girl, you will obey _me_. _They_ betrayed you."

"She's using you as a puppet, Stefa, don't fall for it," warned Elie; something about her voice struck a familiar chord in Keira's heart.

Roxas' eyes became a little downcast. "We're sorry. We didn't mean to leave you behind; _I _didn't mean to abandon you."

A disembodied voice spoke, but it was very familiar. "Keira, call together the fragments of your memory. The darkness has deteriorated them, but they're still there. You know that we're your friends, and I know that you know that we never meant to betray you in any way. Remember, Keira!" Keira's face was a little blank as she followed the voice's instructions and images flashed through her mind. She saw herself in the Ballroom with Riku and the others, saw herself trying to save Melody from Morgana, and she saw Sephiroth murder Aerith all over again. "You know what you have to do."

Roxas searched for the source to no avail. "Naminé?"

"Wretched witch!" Saïx growled, his eyes flashing with anger, as her eyes became normal and she slashed at the orb of hearts.

"No!" Maleficent shrieked shrilly. As the top of her staff broke, eight hearts flew out of it. Together, they slowly began to drift towards where their owners slept. "This cannot happen!"

"Fool, you have failed us." Xemnas growled in a low voice. He summoned his Aerial Blades, and hit Maleficent with them at the same time as Keira plunged Dark Thorn into her chest. Maleficent's eyes widened as the blade made home in her chest while Xemnas' attack sent her over the edge. Her body curved in a graceful arc as it drifted downward, and, about two feet down, Dark Thorn disappeared from her chest and reappeared in Keira's hand.

Saïx turned away from Maleficent's body as his claymore flashed into his hand. "We'll just have to gather the hearts of the eight princesses once again. You first, Princess," he added as he turned his full attention on Keira. With a shaking body, she looked, dumbly, to her friends before moving past them and disappearing down the stairs.

Xemnas, with Forbidden still in hand, made to run after her, but Riku, Roxas, and Sora blocked his passage. "You're not going anywhere," promised the Keyblade Master.

"We took care of you once and we'll do it again." Riku decided before he glanced backwards at Elie and Quince. Though he wanted more than anything to check on Keira, he knew that Roxas and Sora needed him more at the moment. "I'm trusting you two; go after her." Quince and Elie nodded their heads in agreement and they, too, disappeared down the stairs.

Xemnas chuckled without humor. "Fools, you will meet your death here." The rain began to fall harder as clouds blocked the moon once again.

Roxas nodded. "So be it."

* * *

**A/N: 6.25.09: I never explained why, despite being a Nobody, Naminé was as lifeless as Kairi after losing both hearts. After giving Naminé a heart, Keira kind of made her a Somebody, right? Well, no kind of about it. She did. Therefore, Naminé really isn't a Nobody anymore, but a regular Princess of Heart. It makes her body lifeless, like Kairi's, when she loses her heart. :3 And... yeah, Quince switches between Keira and Stefa now. xD**

Old note: **That's it for this chapter, I did all I could to make it long, but... It didn't work. Sorry. x.x;; See you for the next exciting installment. :D Also, if you don't like that I had Kairi's heart merge with Naminé's 'artificial' one, deal with it, please. It was the best idea I had. ;D Please review!**


	34. Trapped! The final battle begins!

**A/N: Well, ladies and gents, you'll be happy to hear that this fanfic is going to be a LOT shorter than I had first planned, thanks to my change in thoughts, plans, and visited worlds. Thank you, Lolli's head.** **Also, I just finished a book called **_**Tithe**_** by Holly Black and it is awesome. Mind you, I read **_**Valiant **_**and **_**Ironside**_** before it (Tithe is the first book in the series), so... Haha. Anyway, check it out, it's real good stuff.**

* * *

The black faded back to blond as the darkness in Keira's heart dissipated. She did not make it too far away from the altar, leaning against the wall of its staircase as she tried to catch her breath. The panicked feeling hadn't left her just yet even though her heart felt lighter than it had been for a while; it was frightening to know that she had been manipulated so _easily_, and she made a mental note to work on her trust issues. The sounds of more footsteps took her out of her reverie as she summoned Dark Thorn, but its keychain promptly shattered and the blade was engulfed in light. "That's a good sign!" cried Elie as she and Quince joined her.

She carefully watched them. Elie was easily recognizable to her now, though Quince still looked the same with his black hair. Unsure of why they had followed her, she noted, "You two work for Maleficent, so why are you...?"

Quince cut her off. "Things have changed. We're here to help you."

"A little blunt, don't you think, dear cousin?" replied Elie with a wide grin. Keira relaxed a little at the sight of Elie acting like her usual self.

Quince raised an eyebrow at his cousin, Keira temporarily forgotten. "What would you _like_ me to say?"

Images of Quince fighting her over and over again since she was first torn from Jewel's Grove flashed into her mind. "Prove to me that you're not going to hand over my heart at the first opportunity you get." Keira spoke so quickly that her words ran together, and the cousins redirected their attention to her. "_Prove_ it." Elie giggled at Quince's obvious struggle to figure out how to prove anything.

His concentrated expression faded, and he relaxed. "I've got the perfect idea." Elie watched, still fighting a giggle, as he moved in on Keira until she pressed herself completely against the wall. Despite her obvious discomfort, he did not stop until his face was an inch from hers.

"What the hell are you-?" Quince cut her off once more though, this time, he did so by pressing his lips to hers. Her eyes widened so much that she thought they would bulge out of their sockets as her cheeks burned with a deep blush.

**XxxxxX**

Only two hearts floated away from the castle and descended near the skyscraper, disappearing into the chests of the unconscious girls lying there. Tifa pushed a wet strand of hair away from her face as she aimed a kick that knocked Larxene against the wall of a building; so enveloped in her fight that she was oblivious to the two princesses of heart. Goofy and Donald, however, were not. "Wak! Kairi! Naminé!" quacked Donald at the sight of the girls sitting up.

He and Goofy promptly joined them, and Kairi rubbed the back of her head. "I feel like I've been hit by a truck, what happened?"

"Well, uh, the two of ya lost yer hearts," informed Goofy. The girls appeared surprised and exchanged a glance before looking around.

"Where is everyone?" Naminé asked softly.

"Leon and Yuffie were fighting Pete, Tifa's fighting Larxene, and everyone else is inside the Castle." Kairi bit her lip as Donald relayed the news. She looked to Naminé with a simple glance, though they made it seem like they were silently communicating something. With no warning at all, their bodies became engulfed in light.

**XxxxxX**

"Ya won't be passing me!" A lightheaded Pete roared with the ferocity of a kitten. "N-not in m-my days..." Yuffie appeared in front of him, utilizing her ninja speed, and poked him in the stomach. For a minute, nothing happened, and then Pete's body was slowly fell backwards until he hit the pavement with a final boom.

Leon ruffled her hair. "Not bad, Yuffie." She gave him a playful shove.

"Thanks, Squall." She said with a wide smile and, for the first time that she remembered, he smiled instead of yelling at her..

He turned his attention to the distance as he shouldered his Gunblade. "We'd better catch up with the others."

**XxxxxX**

"Where's your moon _now_, Saïx?" asked Roxas as he blocked another strike from the Berserker's claymore. _'I've always wanted to say that.'_

"I know." Sora replied to his Nobody's thought as he struck his keyblade at Xemnas' energy blades.

Riku rolled his eyes. "I wish the two of you would _stop_ doing that." He moved to strike Xemnas in the side, but the Nobody disappeared in the blink of an eye. "Damn it."

The rain was coming down hard, and it felt like pins and needles on the boys' bare skin. "This is a violent storm," noted Roxas when the Altar began to shake and forced them to their feet, "A _really_ violent storm."

"I don't know if _that_ was the storm, Roxas." Sora stood and looked over the side of the tower. Something was going on below... Instead of the Heartless crawling up the sides of the castle, they were heading for a particular spot in the canyon.

"What could they be doing?" asked Riku as he joined Sora. The tower gave another great tremble, and they all nearly fell over again.

**XxxxxX**

"Ooh, hot stuff." Elie cooed, forcing Keira and Quince to separate and stare at her. "What? Can't a girl make a remark?" She smirked at the death glares on their faces, though Keira's heart was not in hers. "I hope you and Riku weren't official, Stef." Keira bit down on her lip.

Quince seemed to remember something. "Riku, Roxas, and Sora are still fighting Saïx and Xemnas, aren't they? Shit."

"And the two of you were busy lip-locking. Shame, shame," teased Elie before she and the other two were forced to their knees as the ground trembled.

Keira looked around. "What the hell is going on?" Before they could regain their balance, the greatest tremor by far nearly forced them off of the platform. Riku, Roxas, and Sora were running down the stairs and slid to a stop when they spotted the three on the ground.

"We _have_ to go, _now_." Riku said in one of the most serious tones she had ever heard him use, and Keira scrambled back to her feet.

"What's going on?"

"Heartless were gathering below the castle, and they must've gotten a hold of Maleficent's heart... opening it to its true darkness," remarked Sora.

"Again," groaned Riku, and Keira nodded in her head in understanding, recalling the story about their first journey.

Elie, however, did not get it. "What does _that_ mean?"

"Well, she's a revenge-bent dragon now, instead of a revenge-bent bitch. I mean, witch," amended Roxas.

"And I thought she was bad before," mumbled Quince.

Keira turned toward Riku. "She's hell-bent on destroying the castle, isn't she?"

Riku nodded. "_Oh_, yeah."

The group came to a very simply conclusion: "Run!" There was no time to have a decent reunion as their minds focused only on getting them out of the castle.

"_How_ are we supposed to get out of here before she tears down this whole thing?" panted Elie.

Roxas had a decent suggestion, "Hope for the best and hope that nothing happens?"

"Ah, so _that's _our godsend, huh?"

**XxxxxX**

Donald, Goofy, and Tifa stared in wonder at what had just happened: Naminé and Kairi had clasped their hands together and combined their light to land a finishing move on Larxene. What's more, it actually _worked_. "_What_ was it that you said in Castle Oblivion, Larxene?" Naminé, who was no longer glowing, asked the Nymph, whose hand was hovering over her heaving chest. "Something about me being _weak_?"

"And whiny," added Larxene with a weak smirk. "You might have won this round, but this won't be the last you see of me," she promised as she summoned a portal. "It's been a nice reunion, but you aren't out of the woods yet." Larxene nodded to the castle as she stood and waved. "See ya."

As she retreated into her portal, Yuffie and Leon joined them. "You're all okay!" Yuffie said in with Aerith-like relief.

Tifa cracked a smile. "Everyone has their hearts, and all seems well. _Here, _at least," she added before gazing at the Castle that Never Was. "There were some really strange tremors before. Did you guys feel them?"

"Yeah," answered Leon. "They were weak where we were, so it must be coming from the castle."

"Gawrsh, we better check 'em out," decided Goofy.

Yuffie nodded with determination. "Let's go!"

**XxxxxX**

Cloud watched as six Princesses of Heart ran ahead of him, careful to not be spotted by the dragon. After he had defeated Sephiroth, six hearts flew into the room and entered their rightful owners, after which he freed them from their encasements. After he spotted the large dragon lurking outside, he decided that he needed to lead the princesses to safety before doing anything else. He was strongly hoping that the others had already fled the castle as he met no one else on his way outside.

In the first alley outside of the castle, he and the others noticed Mickey and Axel heading in the direction of the skyscraper. "Your Majesty!" called Aurora; Cloud remembered her and her world, the one that had been falling apart. The King and Axel turned, smiles of relief on their faces.

"Princesses." Axel bowed his head at the women. "Cloud, where's everyone else?" Cloud ran a hand through his hair, a universal sign of concern.

"The skyscraper?" He suggested, though even he did not believe his words. They needn't return there, as Leon, Yuffie, Donald, Goofy, Tifa, Naminé, and Kairi joined them. All of their bodies were marred by battle, but no one seemed too injured.

Axel voiced the observation no one wanted to make. "Crap. The rest of 'em are still inside the castle"

**XxX**

Inside, Riku, Sora, Roxas, Quince, Keira, and Elie were finding it increasingly difficult to escape. Due to the constant tremors of Dragon Maleficent moving along with the damage she was causing on purpose, walls were caving in and exits were being blocked. Once they reached the Proof of Existence, they realized that all of the Organization members were still in existence. Since everyone had to reach the World that Never Was through Twilight Town, there was no way they could beam themselves up to the Gummi ship. "Just. Our. Luck," groaned Quince.

Elie hit her forehead. "Oh, we're so stupid! We can still use our portals!" She moved to the top of the room where they had more space and summoned a portal without a problem "Well, let's go boys, and Princess." She disappeared into it first with Roxas and Sora not too far behind, ecstatic to see Naminé and Kairi.

Riku glanced over at Keira and Quince as he began to enter the portal. "C'mon, let's get out of here." He turned and disappeared.

"Let's go, Quince, stop being an idiot." Keira chided her childhood friend as she stood beside him. "We have to go before that portal disappears."

"So, what are we going to do when we get back? What am _I_ going to do?" mumbled Quince, not moving.

She sighed with exasperation, though she was secretly pleased that she was able to be exasperated and not furious with Quince. "Riku's been welcomed back into society with _open_ arms; I highly doubt that you've got anything to worry about." She headed toward the portal.

"What about us?" She froze in her tracks at his words. _'What 'us'? I was unaware about an 'us' existing.' _She thought, looking back at him as her cheeks flushed again.

"Stupid, can't we talk about this later?"

Quince scowled. "This isn't just a _little_ more...?" He trailed off at the worried look on her face and held up two hands in surrender. "You're right, this isn't as important as leaving. Sorry." They began to head for the portal, but it was very quickly fading before them.

"Run!" She urged both herself and him, but, even as she stopped in front of the portal, the last speck faded away. "No, no, no!"

Quince cursed. "This is all my fault."

"Stop being such a pessimist," groaned Keira, though she was obviously disturbed by their lack of an exit.

"Oh? You've got a better idea of how to get out of here?" He asked, though, even as he spoke, he felt stupid.

Keira was grinning. "You can use a portal, too, can't you?"

He snapped. "Well... yeah. Che. Duh." He turned and ran a hand through his hair, sighing as the anxiety left him.

"Hey, Quince?"

"Yeah?"

"Your hair... looks like it used to. It's brown." His expression became worried once more as he thought, _'Not good.'_

_"The black in your hair has to do with your heart. The more darkness that fills your heart, the more black covers your hair; your eyes become less friendly, and your personality and heart both slip away. Keep that in mind."_ He had said that, hadn't he? At least, it was applicable to solely him and Stefa, as strange as that seemed. It was only just now dawning on him that the same thing that happened to her hair had happened to him. _'Maybe,' _he thought, _'it's different for me.'_ Perhaps he should have come to realization when he betrayed his mentor and used his 'light' keyblade. Still, he held onto hope that he could save himself and his best friend.

Deciding not to worry her, he replied, "Who cares? I bet it doesn't mean anything, Stefa." He turned away from him as he attempted to summon a portal, missing the first smile she had graced him with for quite some time.

"Hm. Stefa. I could get used to hearing that again."

"Heh, even though I've been calling by it since the beginning of this journey," remarked Quince, though his words were more or less an attempt to keep the two of them calm.

And, knowing him oh-so well, she remarked, "You can't call that portal, can you?" He mustered the best grin he could managed as he faced her as fear overtook them both.

**XxxxxX**

As Cloud and the others returned to the castle, they found a roaring dragon as well as a miserable-looking Sora, Roxas, Riku, and Elie. The wielders did not acknowledge the presence of Kairi or the others as they stared at the crumbling castle. "You made it," remarked Axel with much relief as Naminé and Kairi threw themselves at their boyfriends.

"Kairi!" Sora embraced her tightly. "I was so worried about you, when you lost your heart..." He trailed off, summing up that he had thought the worse and kissed the top of her head.

Kairi's strong front crumbled a little as she whimpered, "I thought that I wouldn't see you again!" She felt weak from the light she and her other had used and, after everything that happened during the journey, all she wanted to do was breakdown.

"It's alright, Kairi." Sora held her a little more tightly as her weak body slumped against his. "You're okay now."

When Naminé and Roxas came close to each other, she literally collapsed in his arms. "You're alright, Nam. I've got you." Roxas muttered in a low voice that made her truly smile as she embraced him. Riku only distracted himself from the castle briefly to make sure Kairi was alright. Elie, however, could not tear her eyes away from it, her hands balling into fists.

"They didn't make it," guessed Leon as he joined her.

Elie was having a difficult time holding herself together. "My cousin's so stupid. He said he was coming, but he didn't. Neither did Keira."

Leon changed his line of vision to the dragon that continued to roar and attack the Castle. "We should at least try to get rid of her. All of the worlds that she destroyed or messed up should go back to normal if we defeat her."

"We're with ya, Leon." King Mickey assured the swordsman before said man jumped into the empty canyon below with the king close behind. Goofy and Donald stopped at the edge, removing their hats for a moment in honor of the duo trapped inside, before they also jumped.

Yuffie rested a hand on Riku's shoulder as he continued to stare at the castle. "If we defeat Maleficent, it's possible that we can save them. We can try to make things right." She assured him before disappearing into the depths of the canyon. Riku glanced backward and received confident looks from both Tifa and Cloud. He sighed, summoned Way to Dawn, and disappeared down below with Tifa and Cloud close behind. And, after some persuasion from Axel, Roxas, Sora, Kairi, and Naminé joined the others once the other princesses were in a safe place.

**XxxxxX**

Keira slid down before Roxas' stone as she stared at the opposite wall. "You know, I never _quite_ pictured my death like this." Keira muttered.

Beside her, sitting before Larxene's stone, Quince laughed without humor. "You _pictured _what your death would look like?"

She nodded her head furiously, a serious expression on her face. "Oh, yes, many times. Like that time where I nearly drowned in Atlantica, _twice_," She emphasized to heighten the drama, a weak smile twitching at the corners of her lips. "When I thought Sephiroth was going to kill me... When that Kraken pulled me under... blah, blah, blah."

His laughter was much more humorous this time. "You're _crazy, _Stef."

"We're about to _die_ and you're laughing?" She pretended to pout. "And, yes, I may be _crazy_, but you love me for it."

"Damn, you're right." They laughed again, and Keira wiped a tear from her eye. "So, we finally know what the world is _really_ like, huh?"

"We _always_ knew the world was horrible. Look at ours," she said, smirking. "At least you were with Elie. Guessing you didn't find your brother, though, huh? Strange, wasn't he _supposed _to be with Maleficent?" Quince simply did not answer, and she assumed she had hit a sore spot. "Elie will be alright, though, that's good. All of those jerks at our school will continue to exist... Life goes on." _'But not ours,' _she thought.

They continued to talk about nothing in particular, which more or less relieved her because she did not want to get on the subject of what she and Quince were. What was the point, anyway, when they were about to die? After a few more moments, there was another tremor, but, this time it was followed by an impact on the walls. On either side of them, the walls began to shake gingerly and the stones along with them. Keira stared into her empty hands as everything trembled around them, and summoned Shadow Heart; she'd reattached they keychain with the decision that she would end her journey in the same way she began.

Then, without warning, she jumped to her feet and slammed the weapon against the wall as it began to cave in. "Stefa, what are you doing?" exclaimed Quince as he stood and stared at her.

She shook her head. "I've survived the _oddest_ things. My life took a turn for the better and for the worse when I stepped outside of my house that night, and I, honestly, can't give all of that up. I have to fight for my life, and yours, too, even if you won't." She finished through clenched teeth as her feet began to slide from the pressure of the wall. She thought of Aerith and Riku and the others and knew, in her heart, that she could not simply surrender.

Quince watched her in wonder. _'She'll die before I do at this rate... I have to do something.' _He pursed his lips together as he came to a realization._ 'My life won't mean anything if she's not in it.'_ He knew it was the truth, and his heart couldn't deny it anymore. Even if she had fallen for Riku, and not him (his own fault, he supposed), she still needed to live her life to its fullest. As soon as he thought it, the wish was granted. His body became engulfed in a golden light that even she could see with her back to him.

"Q-Quince?" She stuttered, pushing harder against the wall still.

**XxxxxX**

The fight against the dragon Maleficent was difficult but, Sora decided, made easier than before with so many useful people assisting. Tifa leapt up the dragon's hind legs and ran against the violent wind and rain as she perched herself, awkwardly, on a bent front leg. Then, she held out a hand as Yuffie ran forward to grasp it. With all of her might, she threw the ninja toward Maleficent's head, and watched as she hurled her shuriken at the neck at the same time as Tifa sent a kick to the face.

Riku and Sora doubled over, panting, a ways away from the battle. They had Eternal Session and were more than a little tired, though the move had proven to be a godsend; they had landed some very necessary damage on the dragon. Roxas ran forward and, with Axel's help, flew upward, slashing away at the dragon's head with his duel keyblades. The dragon roared in protest and opened her mouth. The next thing he knew, green embers were pouring out of Maleficent's mouth, knocking him to the ground and leaving nasty burns on his skin.

Everyone else backed off, leaving Axel to fight for the moment as Maleficent breathed more green flames. Being completely and totally unaffected by the fire attack, Axel jumped upward and began to slash at the dragon's head, flames spurting out with every hit.

Naminé bent over Roxas. "Are you alright?" He moved part of his hair away from his face as he looked up at her.

Though his words should have been corny, they somehow weren't, coming from him. "Thanks to you, never been better." His hand brushed against her cheek, and she blushed before planting a kiss on his lips.

"Wak! Now's not the time for kisses," reminded Donald as he raised his staff and cast a thundara spell on Maleficent. The dragon closed her mouth, cutting off the flame supply, and stood on her hind legs.

Mickey recognized the move immediately. "Jump on three, fellas. One," The dragon was almost to the ground, "Two," nearly touching it, now. "Three!" Maleficent hit the ground, sending a shockwave outward. Everyone evaded the attack.

"She has too much health," growled Yuffie in what would have been a threatening voice for anyone else growled as Tifa hurled her up to the dragon's neck. With weapon in hand, she moved herself down to the back, holding out her arms to maintain her balance.

Kairi looked away from the battle for a moment to glance at the castle, her heart sensing some serious light in that direction. "What's that?" For a brief moment, everyone else followed her gaze.

A bright light was beginning to emit from part of the castle, but it was rapidly expanding farther and farther.

* * *

**A/N: Yet another short chapter, but I love keeping people in suspense. See you next chapter.**


	35. A Heart's Memory Is Never Forgotten

**A/N: We're winding it down, people. Really. Only a few more chapters to go. But, don't fear, the sequel will be up before Friday. In the last chapter, I'll tell you the name of it! Thank you for the feedback once again, I love you all. :D Uhm, so, I got a suggestion to make it M rated, and I will definitely think on it. **(As of 2011: Yeah, no M-rating for any of my stories. Sorry. xD)

**Disclaimer: I keep forgetting these... Let's have Keira announce things.**

**Keira: Why do I have to waste my breath on this?**

**Quince: Okay, I'll do it.**

**Keira: Hey!**

**Quince: -mutters something about women-**

**Keira: What was that?**

**Elie: These two will never shut up, Lollipop doesn't own anything from Kingdom Hearts. She doesn't own ANY of the songs in this fanfic, either. ****  
**

* * *

"Quince, what's going on?" asked Keira in a desperate voice. The light was blinding her, so she couldn't even fathom looking back at him. She could sense trouble though she could not see it, and, in fact, she could not see much at all besides the wall she was struggling to hold up.

Quince inhaled deeply as he hugged her from behind. So surprised was she that she accidentally released Shadow Heart, not that it mattered much: the room was disappearing around her. Everywhere she looked was a bright white light.

**XxX**

The light was drawing nearer to them, and Kairi was both wondering why as well as fearful about what it might do to them. But before she could say anything, Naminé tapped her shoulder, and they stared at each other without speaking, though they reached some type of understanding. Both were inspired by the light. What else would be better to defeat a creature of darkness? Nearby, Yuffie and Tifa's carelessness resulted in them falling off Maleficent as she stood up on her hind legs. Everyone but the princesses were hit by the resulting shockwave.

Naminé and Kairi were clutching hands, the strange light from before surrounding and protecting them. Leon fired two shots from his Gunblade at Maleficent before she knocked him away with her large tail, and Yuffie ran over to check on him. Without any type of fear, the girls approached the dragon. The light from the castle affected all but the princesses, injuring Maleficent and blowing the others away. Kairi and Naminé's light intensified, hitting a peak, shooting off of their bodies like a rocket and homing in on the dragon.

Maleficent managed a weak roar as she began to fade into Naminé and Kairi's light before vanishing in thin air. The girls exchanged a satisfied glance before collapsing, though, fortunately, Roxas and Sora were there to catch them.

**XxX**

Though the darkness was exceedingly familiar to Keira, she did not find it any bit welcoming, especially when she found that she was alone. She called Quince's name several times, despite the fact that no one and nothing was in sight, and she felt her heart sink. _'I'm alone again.' _When she turned her head, she found, with shock, Quince on his knees and quickly bent down to his level. Despite the eerie orange glow surrounding his body, she put her hands on his shoulders as she came to a horrific conclusion. "You're... fading away?" she mumbled, not understanding why this was happening and, at the same time, not wanting to understand at all.

He nodded slowly as he reached out to touch her face with one hand, taking one of her hands within his other. "Yeah, I guess I am." He laughed, but it was not bitter-sounded for a change; it was familiar and happy as it always had been.

She pursed her lips as tears began to blur her vision. "This isn't funny! You can't really plan on leaving me, not again."

Quince frowned back at her. "You're too pessimistic." She could only stare at him as a single, salty tear rolled down her cheek and onto his hand. "As usual, you worry too much," he added in a lighter voice. "I did this for you, so you better not regret it or throw it away."

Keira shook her head, deciding to simply not accept what was happening. "No. No, you're okay. You're just fine." She insisted. "This is just a power of yours, nothing more."

"You are so pathetic," he laughed; she realized he was teasing her. "You'd find a reason to excuse Global Warming if you could."

She did not laugh as more tears slid down her cheeks. "I am not pathetic; I just don't want to be alone. How am I supposed to get home?" Quince took his hand out of hers, wiping the tears off of her face before his lips brushed against hers. Keira returned it with eagerness, though it was not a normal kiss that a teenager should have. She put all of her emotions into it, communicating her begging that he stay with her as the tears fell more freely from her eyes.

"Follow the light in your heart, it will always guide you," he said with a smile as they broke apart and he released her face. They stood, and she threw her arms around him, making it very obvious that she was not letting him go without a struggle. Despite her grip on him, she could feel his body fading from her grip as the orange light engulfed his body further. "Don't worry; I'll always be with you, Stef." His words continued even after his body disappeared, and Keira's body shook as she fell to her knees and allowed the sadness to overtake her.

**XxxxxX**

Roxas and Sora carried Kairi and Naminé on their backs as they returned to Betwixt and Between. Axel had summoned a portal that brought them close to the beginning of the World that Never Was, where they found the rest of the Princesses of Heart awaiting them. "Thank you for your help," said Cinderella as she inclined her head; the others chorused her.

"Do you all need a way to get home?" asked Sora as he shifted Kairi's weight.

The princesses shook their heads. "Oh, no, don't worry. Last time we were just brought back," Belle told them with her beautiful smile. As she spoke, she and her others were engulfed by a warm light. "Like this."

"Take care, everyone," called Aurora before she and the others disappeared before their eyes.

Yuffie, despite herself, yawned before informing the others, "We'll take the portal to Betwixt and Between and then take the Gummi Ship to the Radiant Garden."

Riku's eyebrows knitted together. "One Gummi Ship, won't that be a little...?"

The King cut him off, "I had Chip and Dale help Cid make a big Gummi Ship. Let's get goin', fellas." With that, he entered the black and green portal with Donald and Goofy. Yuffie, supporting a limping Leon , followed next, then Sora and Roxas. An uncharacteristically silent Elie followed, mourning the loss of her old friend and cousin. Cloud, Tifa, and Riku did not follow immediately, stopping to stare up at Kingdom Hearts.

Tifa spoke first. "She's not gone."

"How do you know?" asked Cloud and Riku in unison.

Tifa simply smiled. "Light never fades; we'll be seeing her again someday, you'll see." And, with that, she limped into the portal as well with Cloud close behind, only limping a little. The destruction of the castle had taken quite the toll on everyone.

Riku took one final look at the moon, at the great Kingdom Heartsas memories floated through his head._ "Give up?" mocked Keira as she flipped over Riku and landed near where Sora had crashed the Gummi ship by the Castle's gates... _He saw himself mock-bow at Keira outside of Beast's ballroom as she rolled her eyes at him and whispered, _"So, do you know how to dance, or should I lead?" _To which he snorted, "_Of course I know how to dance, I'm just no good at it." _Then, his thoughts, for the first time in a while, returned to the last time they had been together, hanging out at an outdoor cafe back in Radiant Garden, shortly before Aerith was killed. He managed a weak smile. "Take care of yourself, Stefa," he murmured the name for the first time before he also disappeared within the portal.

**XxxxxX**

Keira had not moved from her spot in the darkness. She assumed a decent amount of time had passed, but, having no idea where to go and no will to move at any rate, she did not care. Her tears had finally stopped and dried on her face and, though she felt alone and melancholy, she was no longer frightened. Hissing a sigh from between her lips, she finally stood up and glanced around. "Guess I can't stay here forever. The light... will guide me," she decided. As quickly as she said it, her heart fluttered, and light began to appear in the distance, slowly expanding. She hesitated for just a moment before running toward it, entering the world as Stefa once again.

**XxxxxX**

Once they returned to the Radiant Garden, everyone who was seriously injured retired to their rooms. Cloud helped Tifa to hers, as did Roxas and Sora with Naminé and Kairi. Yuffie remained with Leon. Riku quickly realized that he could not remain in the house for long as the bittersweet memories from the journey continued to plague hum, so he left and sat on the ledge of the Borough so he could stare at the distant castle. "We won the battle, but I still kind of feel like we lost," he admitted once he realized that he was not alone.

King Mickey stood behind him, a sad smile on his face. With a small jump, he also joined the keyblade wielder. "Gosh, Riku, it's okay for you to feel that way." Riku noted that the mouse had lightened up a little since they left the World that Never Was.

"It is?" asked Riku with surprise as he turned toward Mickey.

Mickey nodded. "When ya lose someone important to ya, you'll always feel that way, even if you've won the battle. That's the beauty of darkness and light: which is why ya can't have one without the other, 'cause, otherwise, you'd just feel completely bad instead of even the tiniest bit good."

"Yeah," he agreed as he stared back at the castle. "Things'll turn out alright again, but what about the Organization?"

King Mickey chuckled. "Ah, Organization XIII, they'll always be runnin' away from battles. They'll stay gone for a while as they plan their next move, but they'll be back." He stated.

"We'll be ready the next time," he mumbled.

"You're right, we will," agreed Mickey. "In the meantime, try to enjoy yourself. Sora, Kairi, Naminé, and Roxas will need ya to be laid back and all when ya return home."

Aside from the distant cries of birds, there was silence for a long while as a breeze blew about Riku's hair. Then, he finally said, "Tifa said that light never fades. Do you think she was right?"

"Of course she was," answered Mickey with a smile. "Even if you're surrounded in complete darkness, you'll always be freed by the little bit of light that you can find."

_'Trust me,'_ A familiar voice giggled, _'I would know. Now, be a good boy, Riku.'_ Riku's heart clenched at the sound and looked around, briefly, for its owner. He was disappointed to find no one else around. As Mickey continued on about something or other, he mumbled, "What?"

"I said, did you Sora, and Kairi return to school when ya got home last time?" repeated the king.

Riku forced himself out of his thoughts and focused on the conversation again. "Oh, school." He groaned, remembering the familiar brick building and his friends. "We're going to have a lot of explaining to do."

"That's for sure!" laughed Mickey.

**XxX**

A few weeks later, everyone was nearly healed completely. Some small cuts remained, but most of them had begun to turn into scars. The last days of Kairi, Roxas, Naminé, Sora, and Riku's time in the Radiant Garden were closing in, and they knew they'd soon have to return home and explain, yet again, why they had been gone for so long. On this day, however, Elie decided to take her leave.

She had become much better; at least, she wasn't as sad as she had been. However, it had been so long since she was home that she did not know what to expect. For a while now, she had been putting off her return to Jewel's Grove simply because she was afraid of what she would find. Elie conjured up a portal in the Marketplace where Sora, Roxas, Kairi, Riku and Naminé had joined her. "Sorry, I can't stick around for the party tonight, but I really should go home," she said with an apologetic smile.

"We could drop you off or something after, you know," offered Sora, his hand grasping Kairi's.

Elie's smile became sly. "I think you might be just a tad too busy." She replied before poking him in the nose. Roxas, Naminé, Riku, and Kairi laughed.

"We really _could_ bring you back, though." Roxas said in a serious voice that didn't suit him. In the short amount of time they had come to know her, they had really come to appreciate her company.

Elie waved him off. "Nah. I can't wait until next time that we meet, and then you can meet the _real_ hyper me." Sora laughed nervously as Kairi's hand broke away from his so she could hug the other wielder.

"Thanks for everything, Elie."

"Stay out of trouble now, Kairi," warned Elie with a grin as she summoned a portal and waved at the others. "You know, this is the last time that I can, or should, use this, probably. Tell everyone else bye for me. Have fun at your little party," she added as she disappeared into the portal.

"Let's go and see what we can do to help out." Naminé suggested. The others agreed, and they headed for the castle. When they had reached the castle's ballroom **(A/n: Added this, probably isn't really in the game)**, they found it already decorated with a stereo, a bar (whose bartender was going to be none other than Tifa), lights, and many other important things.

Cid was arguing with Merlin about something while Yuffie, grasping Leon's hand, led him to different areas of the room. "Leon! Yuffie!" called Roxas, drawing their attention.

Leon raised an eyebrow at them. "What're all of you doing here?"

"Oh, thanks," said Kairi, feigning hurt. "I guess you don't want us around."

"Very funny, you know what I meant."

Naminé smiled. "We wanted to see if we could help with anything."

"Nothing at all," chirped Yuffie. "It's thanks to you that all of the worlds are safe... for now," she added, knowing that the worlds were never truly safe, especially with the Organization still out there somewhere.

"Yeah, but you helped," pointed out Riku.

Yuffie countered, "But you did most of the work."

"Alright, alright," Leon cut in before the two of them began to fight. "Why don't you go see what the others are doing, or something?"

"Or 'something'?" asked Kairi, her lips stretching into a devious smile.

Leon raised his eyebrows. "Hey, hey, none of that; none of you are even legal yet."

"Two years," noted Riku.

"Three," added the others.

Leon shook his head. "Just go."

"Alright, alright," agreed Sora as they began to walk away.

Yuffie's voice reached them as they exited the room. "We'll see you tonight at five!"

**XxX**

The following evening, Naminé and Kairi decided to dress for the occasion. They did not wear really fancy dresses, but something a little different. Kairi wore a blue sun dress with flowers while Naminé wore a slightly ruffled red dress with her hair in a high ponytail (a real red daisy in her hair). After insisting that they loved Roxas and Sora's normal outfits, the boys did not wear anything out of the norm..

Axel, however, was a different story. He had finally gotten rid of his Organization coat and Flora, Fauna, and Merryweather decided to help out one last time. He wore a white shirt beneath a black jacket with black jeans that had various chains on it. "I like this outfit," declared Axel as he entered the castle with Roxas, Naminé, Sora and Kairi.

Naminé grinned up at him. "Doesn't have that Organization XIII feel anymore, huh?"

"Definitely my own," he agreed before asking, on a new note, "What are we all going to do when we're through here? You know, living arrangements-wise." They fell silent as they sat on the idea.

"We're definitely returning to the Islands," said Sora. "I'd hate not being there."

Kairi nodded her agreement as she turned toward the others. "What about you three? I thought you were going to stay at Roxas's Twilight Town?" Naminé and Roxas exchanged a brief glance.

"Well, we were thinking on it," began Naminé.

"And that would probably be the first place that the Organization would look for us," finished Roxas.

Naminé nodded and raised her index finger. "Although the islands would be the second, we couldn't stand not returning there with you and Riku." Axel rubbed the back of his head with unease, and she looked at him. "But, since we weren't planning on living with Sora, Riku or Kairi, we need someone who could pose as our guardian, so the three of us can live together, Axel."

At her unasked question, he smiled. "Thanks, I'd be glad to." Their conversation halted as they reached the Postern, and looked up at Hollow Bastion, which looked much better than it had in quite a while.

Sora glanced around as he suddenly realized something. "Anyone see Riku?"

Kairi bit her lip. "No, but you can't really expect otherwise, can you?" she asked as they entered the castle and took one of the lifts.

Sora sighed and shook his head. "I guess not."

Roxas decided to change the subject. "They sure did what they could to make this place look exactly as it did before." His heart still contained the memories of his previous life, Sora's life.

The subject immediately became depressing again as Naminé spoke. "I feel kind of bad," she mumbled, resting her hand on her chest. "The only reason we have these hearts is because Keira somehow made them for us. She made us whole, apart from Sora and Kairi."

Roxas nodded. "I know what you mean."

"I feel kind of good," stated Axel, drawing wondrous stares from the wielders. "Keira was never forced to give the Organization hearts," he reminded the others, who laughed as they entered the ballroom.

Nearly everyone in the Radiant Garden could be found at the party. Because of this, entering and exiting the dance floor was nearly a matter of life or death, or, rather, life or getting stepped on. They all took part in dancing at some point and, after several quick-paced songs, Sora and Kairi retreated to the bar. "What brings you two over here?" asked Tifa with a wide, knowing smile.

"Drinks," Kairi panted. "Please?"

Tifa decided to have a little fun with them. "What kind of drinks?"

"Don't give them such a hard time," said someone else from behind the bar. Cloud walked up the counter and slid two mugs topped with foam their way. "Root beer," he added at the almost surprised expressions on their faces.

"Thanks." Sora downed his entire drink in two sips.

Tifa abruptly tore herself away from the teenagers as she looked over to a spot where a couple of children appeared to be causing a bit of trouble: a woman, covered in dark liquid, was yelling at Marlene and Denzel. "Oh, no," groaned Tifa before running off to see what had happened. Cloud very nearly chuckled as he moved to serve another customer.

Sora turned in the stool so that he was facing Kairi. "I've got something for you," he announced.

She tilted her head to the side a little. "You do? What?"

"Close your eyes and give me your hand." She followed his instructions as he dug into his pockets and fished out a silver and purple-lined ring with an engraving. He slid it onto one of her fingers. "Open them."

Kairi read the engraving, "_'My destiny, for my love, Kairi.'_ Oh, it's so pretty, Sora. Thank you!" She threw her arms around his neck.

Sora returned the embrace, a blush coloring his cheeks. "Uh, it's kind of a promise ring," he said in such a quiet voice that she had to strain her ears to hear him. She simply giggled and kissed his lips. A little later, they met Roxas, Naminé, and Axel on the dance floor.

"Roxas gave you one, too, huh?" asked Kairi as she and Naminé read the other's ring. Naminé's read: _'Dearly beloved, my Naminé.'_ Hers was silver, where Kairi's was gold, with a blue stripe instead of a purple one. "Cute!" They said in unison. Suddenly the fast song ended and a slower one began.

A slow song began to play as a woman began, in a Russian accent, "What I thought wasn't mine, in the light, was one of a kind, a precious pearl." Naminé and Kairi really got into the song, belting out the lyrics as they slow danced with their boyfriends. When the song finished, it seemed that the entire room had heard her, for everyone clapped for them. Though they blushed, the group of them moved to join Axel back at the bar. Once everyone had glasses in hand, Naminé and Kairi chorused, "To Keira." They knocked their glasses together before taking a drink; Sora, Roxas, and Axel mimicked their actions. Finally, Yuffie, who was wearing the ninja outfit Sora remembered from his first journey, lightly tapped a spoon against her glass (Sora was quite surprised; he thought, for sure, that she would bang loudly on the crystalline) from her spot by the stereo, which Cid turned down.

Though Yuffie was not the type to make a toast, she spoke in a loud voice, "Tonight, we all know what we're here for. We're here because, once again, Sora has helped save the worlds, but he wasn't the only one." She raised her glass, which was filled with a dark red liquid. "To Sora, the Keyblade Master," Everyone in the room mimicked her actions, "To Roxas, the brave keyblade wielder, to Naminé, the brave eighth princess, to Kairi, the seventh Princess of Heart.

Roxas continued the toast, "To Axel, the newly reformed ex-Organization member." Axel playfully punched him in the arm as laughs echoed around the room.

Axel continued, "To Tifa, the kick ass martial artist." Whistles and cheers sounded in the room and the never shy Tifa blushed as she laughed.

"To Cloud," She announced, raising her glass and revealing a beautiful ring, "My husband-to-be for defeating Sephiroth, helping tame the other princess, and helping to kick ass." The room cheered its loudest as the man in question planted a kiss on her waiting lips.

Smirking, Cid continued, "To Marlene and Denzel for causin' trouble where it don't seem possible for trouble to occur." The children blinked and stepped away from the table of sweets with sheepish expression as everyone laughed and toasted.

"To the Great Ninja Yuffie for kicking butt!" Naminé, Kairi, Sora, Roxas, Tifa, Leon, and several others toasted.

"To Squall Leonhart for restoring this Castle to its original glory and helping me to kick butt," grinned Yuffie; everyone in the room was surprised when he did not correct her.

Leon raised his glass. "To King Mickey, Goofy, and Donald for every fight they have ever fought to keep the worlds safe." Goofy sheepishly rubbed the back of his head, while Donald quacked with happiness, and the King squeaked a laugh.

Tifa grinned. "To Cid Highwind and Merlin for keeping each other under control, for the most part."

Cloud finally raised his own glass. "To Aerith for always being brave and keeping her positive front no matter what was happening." Different comments were shouted by some as the rest cheered: "To Aerith."

Riku, who had been sitting in a less populated section of the room, looked up as Sora and Kairi said, "To Riku for winning his battle against the darkness, helping kick Xemnas's ass twice, and being one of the best friends ever."

"Thanks," he said with a smile. "And to Princess Stefa for helping us defeat the darkness, keeping everyone in check, and for being a great friend."

As he sipped his own drink, absolutely everyone in the room repeated him, even Marlene and Denzel: "To Stefa!" There was a mixture of people who also shouted 'To Keira!' Following this, the music was turned back up, and people returned to the dance floor, but Riku stood and decided it was time for him to get out of there.

As he stepped into the hallway and shuffled into a lift, he heard the voice from the Borough mumble, _"Hey, make your way to me, to me... And always be just so inviting. If I ever start to think straight, this heart will start a riot in me. Let's start, start, hey!"_ The voice became particularly enthusiastic at the ending lyrics, and he smiled, though it disappeared when the voice did not speak again. How was life going to be after this?

* * *

**A/N: And that's it for this chapter! It's short and was pretty much uneventful, but what can I say? Heh. Alright, the credits for the two songs are: "Gomen Nasai" by Tatu and "That's What You Get." by Paramore. I'm sure you can figure out which song is which. See you next chapter!**


	36. Journey's End

**A/N: **6.11.11: **I took quite a bit out of this chapter, added detail and also added a song's lyrics so, instead of imaging a pretty song, you can listen to a pretty song! Once again, thank you to everyone who has reviewed. I never would have guessed that I would get over 100 reviews for this story.**

Old: **ALERT. This is the last chapter. Thank you all for everything that you have done, including all of the reviews and story alerts and help, too. xD Thanks to anyone who bothered to read this at all!** **Let's see, this ending is going to be kind of odd because it's basically going to be the 'ending FMV' only with dialogue, so deal with the jumping and stuff, I know you all can. So, imagine a pretty song or something to go along with it. Also! I'm leaving Friday, which means I have to get my ass in gear and start to pack. Heh. I've known for about a month that I'm leaving for South Carolina, but I only decided to start today. Oops.**

**Disclaimer-Hah! This is the last time that I have to write this for this story. Ah. **_**This**_** story. x.x; I don't own anything besides my own clever plot and my OCs.**

_This time we're not giving up/Let's make it last forever  
Screaming "hallelujah", we'll make it last forever  
And we've got time on our hands, and we've got, got nothing but time on our hands/__  
__Got nothing but, got nothing but/Got nothing but time on our hands__  
_**-****"Hallelujah" by Paramore**

* * *

Kairi, Sora, Riku, Roxas, Naminé, and Axel decided taking Axel's portal was the fastest way to get home. Not to mention, that way they wouldn't have to be dropped off via Gummi Ship. "We'll see each other again soon." Kairi promised the Radiant Garden gang as the group of them stood in the Marketplace. For some odd reason, especially when it was not busy, the area seemeed like a good place for goodbyes.

Leon mustered a faint smile as he agreed, "You're right."

"And it'll only be that much easier as long as Axel can use his portal for a while," added Sora, his hands resting comfortably behind his head.

"You guys better not forget to come to the wedding!" reminded Tifa. "Otherwise we'll have to come and have a nice little _chat_." It was funny how she did not need to get rid of the smile on her face to be frightening, and they all nodded their heads in a furious agreement so she might not hurt them. "I'll miss you guys."

Naminé smiled. "We'll miss you, too. It was so nice to meet you all... as ourselves," she added with a glance at Roxas, who nodded.

"Be good and take care! We'll have the King send you notice for the wedding." Tifa called after them as they stepped into the portal.

The stinging of the salty air stung their nostrils as they appeared outside of the portal and on a beach, the beach Sora and his best friends played on as children. "We're home," sighed Riku as his friend flopped onto the sand.

Kairi grinned. "Sora, you lazy bum!" She lowered herself beside him and stared into the distance where the sun was setting, just as it had been the previous time they returned home.

"It's so weird to be seeing this in our own bodies," mumbled Roxas as he idly kicked at the sand, causing it to fly onto Sora.

Sora shot back and spat the sand out of his mouth. "Hey!" His other smiled sheepishly while everyone else laughed.

Axel gazed around the island as he dropped his jacket onto the sand. "_This_ is where you guys have been living for your whole lives?"

"Pretty much," answered Kairi.

Axel smirked. "No wonder you wanted to see other worlds." Roxas kicked some sand at him, too.

"It's better than a boring, white castle," stated Riku, grinning for the first time in a while.

Axel rubbed the back of his head. "Well, you got me there."

"Hey, Sora, Kairi?"

The two turned toward her. "What is it, Naminé?"

"How are you two planning to tell your parents that you're... together?" She inquired, a smile turning the corners of her lips as their faces became horror-stricken. Kairi and Sora threw themselves back on their backs as they stared up at the sky.

"Oh, _great_!" cried Sora and Kairi while the others laughed.

**XxX**

Some weeks later, Roxas, Naminé, and Axel had managed to get a house that was in the same neighborhood as Sora, Kairi, and Riku. Axel had been taking up his role as 'guardian' quite seriously. Right, Axel serious. The only thing he did was keep Roxas and Naminé from taking the same room, though he did trust them to be alone together. At least, he did most of the time.

Sora and Kairi had a simple time explaining to Sora's mother that the two of them were now in a relationship. She had, at least, been calm. In fact, she'd been ecstatic about it with cries of, "Finally, Sora's made a smart decision!" Kairi felt very welcomed, but her parents were a different story. A _much_ different story.

Her father, being the mayor and overprotective, had immediately began to question Sora as if he had committed a crime. Kairi's mother had been unsure at first, but, upon realizing that Sora had kept her baby safe, she was just fine with their relationship. Sora did everything he could to convince Kairi's father that he really loved her, and, after Kairi and her mother scolded him, he grudgingly allowed their relationship to continue.

Quite a few people knew the truth about the existence of Naminé and Roxas, but no one said anything about their being separate from Kairi and Sora. School had began, a glorious thing. Kairi, Sora, and Riku had _quite_ the time explaining _why_ they hadn't been in school, so their parents had to come in and do some serious lying since no one believed the three teenagers.

Naminé and Roxas had an easy time getting into Kairi, Riku and Sora's school. They simply explained that they were from a different place, off of the Islands, and they were enrolled on the spot, despite the fact that they had no papers for anything. Axel elected to take a job as a weapon's instructor at the school, a class that the five of them decided to take for the rest of their time in school. Every day following school, Naminé, Roxas, Sora, Kairi, Riku, Tidus, Wakka, and Selphie headed to their island as they had in the past. Naminé had held onto her sketchbook, so she often drew everyone playing, though she would also join them.

Kairi and Sora ducked into the Secret Place unnoticed, passing the blitzball strategies and stopping at their drawing. There were words scratched near it, and they laughed as they read: 'Kairi and Sora foreverzz! -Axel, Riku, and Roxas.' For no reason other than a passing fancy, Kairi stood and placed her hand on the mysterious door, surprised that she could sense someone mimicking her on the other side.

**XxxxxX**

Stefa strayed away from the cave with the odd door quite quickly. She rubbed her hand and stared down at it, wondering if she actually had felt something on the other side. The thoughts left her head as she paused to eye the usually empty 'ditch' of a field, which was currently filled to the brim with water. Quince had _always _insisted the field was a ditch while she remained adamant that it was, indeed, a field. A smile appeared on her face, briefly, as she recalled the memories of their arguments. Overhead, the sky was grey, and the rainy weather caused the pond's waves to spill onto the path that Stefa was standing on.

Thus far, there had been no sign of Elie at all, and Stefa wondered if, maybe, she hadn't made it back. In fact, she was concerned that Elie (or any of the others, really) had been injured by the dragon Maleficent. She hated not knowing what had happened or what was going on because it frightened her. The thought that Maleficent was still alive, somehow, and would be coming after her scared her nearly as much as the idea of the Organization coming after her. They _would _want their hearts, after all. What about the keyblade wielders that had been working for Maleficent? Where had they gone?

With a sigh, she attempted to push the worries out of her head as she walked down the street of her old neighborhood, heading in the general direction of her house. It had, like all of the other houses in the neighborhood, been boarded off following the Heartless invasion, not that it bothered Stefa or stopped her. She pulled on the boards covering the front door and entered the dark, dusty house.

As she carefully treaded through the house, distantly eyeing her crutches lying on the floor, she mused about how she had not been able to summon her keyblade in the few weeks since she had returned home. Every day, she tried, and, every day, she was disappointed. Some days, she tried to convince herself that the past year had been a dream though, most of the time, it was difficult with the proof all around her, least of all the abandoned house.

Fortunately for her, she had found her family (at least, some of it) about a day after returning to Jewel's Grove. They had been forced to move to a new neighborhood in a quite large house so the entire family could stay together. Though the idea had probably been nice and comforting following the Heartless invasion, it was steadily becoming quite sour as everyone was always fighting and complaining about how close they were to one another. Stefa laughed as she recalled a fight between several of her family members just that morning. Though they might drive her, and each other, crazy, she knew that she would not trade them for the world, especially since... Stefa heaved a sigh. Her aunt had informed her that her parents had not returned, and the assumption was that they had lost their hearts; the same with Nalani. Though Quince was indeed correct about Jewel's Grove not disappearing, the Heartless attack meant to draw Stefa out of her home had caused much damage, and many people were missing.

Stefa attempted to distance herself from those thoughts as she looked around her gloomy home. It was virtually identical to the night she had left only everything was now covered in dust, and oodles of bugs had taken the home as their own. She walked up the stairs, tracing the portraits of her family and herself as a baby and other family portraits with her finger as she reached the second level. She rammed the door to her old bedroom, which had become inexplicably stuck (perhaps from not being used for a year?) with her shoulder, and it flew open with a bang as she nearly toppled over. Old toys and nick-nacks, clothes that she had been planning to wear, and photographs littered the room. It looked like a pigsty, but, unfortunately, that was due to her own cleaning habits and nothing more. She quickly swept the room with a large bag, throwing some of her things into it, and exited it in a hurry. Somehow, it was most painful to stick around in her bedroom. Every time she looked around it, different memories from different parts of her life flashed into her mind.

Before she left the house, she ducked into her mother's room, which looked just as it always had. The walk to her new home was just a little bit far, several blocks away and then some, but she made it there rather fast, due in large part to the fact that she was the only one foolish enough to walk around in the storm. By the time she reached the lake that meant she was almost home, the hood of her grey and black striped sweatshirt was pulled over her head. She followed the trail alongside the lake and, without another thought (not even the one that reminded her how sick she would get from staying in the rain), jumped the fence meant to keep children away from the water and sat on the layer of rocks that lined the shore.

The storm made the lake's waves hit the shore rather violently, but it didn't much faze her. She pulled her knees to her chest, resting her chin on them, as her thoughts flew back to her family. She had made a valiant attempt to tell them everything that happened to her, but the only thing that they believed was that she had been lost in the darkness. Without the proof, her keyblade, there was no way to convince them otherwise. _'At least,' _she thought with a wry smile, _'my little cousin believes everything I've told her. Not sure how much that counts for, though.' _

For kicks, she mumbled, "Quince," just to see if he would appear. He did not; he never did, but she usually attempted to call his name anyway, remembering how well it had worked in the Radiant Garden. It seemed that the people of Jewel's Grove jumped the gun _just _a bit. Many graves (without bodies, obviously) had been placed in a nearby cemetery for those who had disappeared because they were all assumed dead. Though it was not easy seeing her parents' graves, her heart truly clenched at the sight of Quince's.

Stefa stretched her legs out before her, the rain and waves soaking her jeans. She wondered, for just a moment, how everyone was doing, but she tried not to dwell on it too long. All it did was worry her. She moved onto a slightly more positive thought: school had been discontinued for the time being. The world was in such disrepair that there were fewer kids to come for one reason or another and the school she attended had been seriously damage. Well, not _everything_ was bad, she thought with a grin.

The grin did not last long, her mind forcing its way back to a last pleasant thought. It had been so long, so very long, since she had properly seen him that it almost hurt. In fact, she was worried that, sooner or later, he would seem like nothing more than a dream. "Riku," she mumbled with much of the same hope with which she spoke Quince's name. He did not appear, either. She remained in her place for a while, watching the rough waters until they became blurry.

**XxxxxX**

Back in Disney Castle, King Mickey and his guards entered the Audience Chamber where, it seemed, everyone in the entire castle awaited them. Daisy threw herself at Donald, hugging him, before scolding him in a loud, high voice. Goofy chuckled before his son, Max, pulled him into a strong hug. King Mickey met his queen at the throne and they shared a kiss. "I missed you so much," she cried.

"I'll be here for a long time, don't ya worry, Minnie."

**XxxxxX**

In King Stefan's castle, Aurora was reunited with her prince. She ran across the room to embrace her husband, her crown somehow managing to remain perfectly perched atop of her head. The two of them then separated as he took Aurora's hand and led her into a dance. From the sidelines, Fauna, Merryweather, and Flora were fluttering in the air and cheering. "It's good to be home," sighed Flora from beside King Stefan, who was talking to Philip's father, King Hubert.

**XxxxxX**

In Port Royal, Barbossa hollered command after command at his crew as they sailed in the open sea for the world's end. Tia Dalma, who was standing on the deck, sent a death glare at the captain as he yelled an order at her, and he instantly forgot what it was he wanted her to do. Elizabeth Swann leaned over the side of the ship and stared into the deep water. From nearby (but not too terribly close), William Turner scowled at her back with bitter resentment as he turned to face Barbossa's general direction. "Where are we heading first?" he asked, mostly to distract himself from his ex-fiancé.

Barbossa faced him, several crew members of his original crew glaring at Will in the process. "We'll be headin' to Singapore. We'll be needing navigational charts to get to World's End." With that said, Barbossa ignored him and continued to shout away orders.

Elizabeth sighed, keeping her eyes trained on the dark waters. Since Jack's passing, Will had not spoken to her. If he did talk to her, it was always in venomous tone. She took a dagger and aimlessly carved into the wooden railing; this was going to be a long mission.

**XxxxxX**

Melody and Ariel were happily swimming throughout Atlantica as the mother showed her daughter her favorite places to visit as a teenager. As always, Sebastian kept a close eye on the two of them (without them knowing that), making sure that they weren't getting into too much trouble. "At my age, and at _dere_ age, I shouldn't have to be following dem!" he complained as he attempted to keep up with them. Flounder's children swam around Ariel and Melody, laughing and singing as Flounder also did what he could to keep up with them. "I'm gettin' too old for dis!" Sebastian finally shouted, giving away his position. Ariel, Melody, Flounder, and his kids swam back toward the crab, laughing as Ariel picked him off of a rock, and began to swim again.

**XxxxxX**

Beast and Belle finally got their peaceful night together. In about a month's time, the two of them would be having a huge wedding that the whole town would attend. Before the last rose petal had fallen, Beast had been transformed back into his human form, as did Mrs. Potts, Lumiere, Cogsworth, Chip, and everyone else in the castle. Following Beast's return as a human, his anger had nearly ceased, and he was almost always pleasant; and that, everyone agreed, was a miracle.

**XxxxxX**

In both Twilight Towns, Hayner won the championship match, becoming champion for the second year in a row. Roxas' Twilight Town had finally been rebuilt, thanks in part to the great cooperation between Hayner and Seifer's gang. Olette, Hayner, and Pence were disappointed that Roxas, Naminé, and Axel had not returned, though they understood. One's enemies usually knew you better than expected, and so they would probably assume the three of them would return to Twilight Town.

...Not that they needed anymore surprise visits from Nobodies.

**XxxxxX**

The Sultan had been so panicked about Jasmine's kidnapping that, when she returned, he had increased the number of guards around the palace. "Father, you realize that the men who took me can use portals. You wouldn't just need guards outside of the Palace." She had told him, though she quickly wished she had not said a thing. The day following their conversation, guards had also been stationed _inside_ of the Palace.

Jasmine sighed as she rested her head against Aladdin's chest. His arms were wrapped around her body and he was holding her close. "There's only one suggestion that I could offer you, Jasmine."

She looked at him, curious. "And what is that?"

"Follow me." She got off of his lap and watched as Aladdin strode over to the window, quickly joining his side. "Oh, carpet!" The old tapestry appeared, out of virtually nowhere, and patiently waited. Aladdin hopped onto the windowsill and onto carpet, holding out his hand for Jasmine.

Once she was on, Carpet set off into the night sky for one more chance at freedom. Below, the guards noticed the two of them flying off and began to yell, but either the couple didn't hear them, or, and this was more likely, did not care.

**XxxxxX**

A month following Sora and the others' departure, Tifa and Cloud finally had their wedding. Sora and the others returned to the Radiant Garden in case their help was needed. Kairi and Naminé were Tifa's bridesmaids along with Yuffie and a few others while Marlene was the flower girl. The wedding was beautiful and, the group was pleased to see, Cloud was happy and actually showed it. Cloud and Tifa only had to figure out what they would do for their honeymoon, now. The joked that maybe they would go to Destiny Islands, but Sora hardly thought that would be a bad thing.

"So, Sora, Kairi," Riku began as he approached his best friends at the after party. "How long will it be before I can expect to be best man?" The two blushed, and he laughed. "I can't wait until it happens." On the other side of the room, Axel asked the exact thing of Roxas and Naminé, only the result was a little bit more different; Naminé blushed furiously while Roxas playfully yelled at Axel to shut up.

"Axel," Naminé took Axel's arm into her hand. "We need to find you a girlfriend." Roxas chuckled.

Axel raised his eyebrow, clearly amused. "Are you going to find me one?"

"I know the perfect girlfriend for you, m'boy!" announced Merlin as he swept through the crowd, pulling someone behind him. Cid freed himself from the wizard's grip and turned to face the trio. Apparently, Merlin had used his magic to give Cid very girly, but good-looking, make up. "Cid is perfect for you, Axel."

"_What?_" exploded Cid. Naminé attempted to stifle her giggles behind her hand, but she failed miserably.

Between laughs, Roxas managed to breathe, "Cid, look at yourself in the mirror." Merlin magicked a mirror to appear and Cid snatched it, his jaw dropping at the sight of his reflection.

"Ya crazy old man!" shouted Cid, throwing the mirror as Merlin ran away. "I'll get cha and you'll be sorry!" The entire party was distracted by the sight of the swearing pilot chasing Merlin around the room. Sora, Kairi and Riku stared at one another before they erupted into laughter.

* * *

**A/N: The END! This was the shortest chapter by far, but what did you honestly expect? It was more or less to be styled in a similar KH ending way-thing. Thank you for all of your support and all, and, for the record, the new story's name is going to be Heart of a Nobody, so you can speculate about what you think is going to happen. Anyway, the first chapter to that will be up later today or tomorrow. Keep looking out for it. Toodles, darlings.**


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